The Jazz Bar was forced to close on the 8th of April, but with your help we have found the way to bring it back to life. The faster we reach our fundraising goal, the sooner we can bring music back to this incredible venue and its special community. Let's come together and make it happen!
The challenges faced by live music venues in recent years have led to more and more closures. With huge help and support from the Music Venue Trust (MVT), we have opted to launch as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to benefit from some of the advantages that this type of grass-roots music venue currently enjoys, including 75% rebate on business rates and VAT exemption on ticket sales.
We would not have been able to do any of this if it weren't for the love that runs deep for The Jazz Bar and all it stands for; for the family that was built from Bill Kyle's dream. So we are now at a place where we are asking for support to get this new venture off the ground. We have set up a crowdfunder to help with startup costs and to repay some of the short-term personal loans taken out. The social enterprise has been established, and the essential assets that we need have been secured, but we still need help from the community, especially with the Jazz & Blues Festival and the Fringe just around the corner.
Who are we?
The Jazz Bar Edinburgh CIC has been set up by Nick and Justyna Mushlin, a husband and wife team with decades of experience and deep connections to the bar. When it became apparent that The Jazz Bar would shut, they took it upon themselves, with help and support from the music community surrounding the bar, to purchase the assets. Their aim was to start a new venture which serves the community they had been a part of for so long, continuing the legacy that the old Jazz Bar had created and nurtured for many years and, expand into actively growing and developing the next generation of musicians, keeping the fledgling music scene alive.
Former staff, sound engineers, and musicians dug deep to collectively raise enough money to enable The Jazz Bar CIC to purchase the assets, name, and license when the opportunity arose. A true testament to the strength of the JB community!
This nonprofit social enterprise channels all operating surplus back into the venue, with all assets locked into and owned by the social enterprise, not private individuals.
Here are some overall fundraising goals and what they would bring us:
Where does 20k take us?
Essential maintenance quoted at around £10k needs to be done before we open. We would also be able to partially repay the short term borrowing taken out for the purchasing of Assets and license. If we can recoup some of this then the surplus from the Fringe doesn't have to be immediately spent repaying this debt. Edinburgh is a seasonal city and having, even a small pot, at the end of the Fringe is vital to help see us through the tougher months.
Where does 35k take us?
This means, not only are we starting without the debt of asset purchases but also no debt from the initial opening costs, initial staffing, training, cleaning, marketing, planning and all other logistical things needed to start up a bar (more than you think) starting at zero from day one. This means we don't have to 'borrow in advance' from the expected fringe profits, which give us a greater chance for long term success.
Where does 50k take us?
All of the above plus the ability to actively invest in much needed sound and light equipment and, fund some exciting youth development projects that we've been working on such as music workshops and afternoon shows aimed to engage children and young people to help foster the next generation of musicians.
These upgrades will vastly improve our venue into the destination live touring venue it deserves to be, benefiting artists, audiences, and the broader music community. Let's come together to make this vision a reality! Any size of contribution would be so welcome! Your unwavering support and dedication to live music in Edinburgh have been our driving force. We hope to be in a position to welcome you to the new Jazz Bar very soon.