Dear Friends,
We have some very exciting news we are now in a position to share with you all.
The Jazz Bar’s assets, name, social media and license have been purchased by a new company called The Jazz Bar Edinburgh CIC. 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.
The Community Interest Company 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 to serve 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.
The challenges faced by live music venues in recent years have led to more and more closures. With huge help and support from Music Venue Trust (MVT), we have opted to launch as a 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.
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 testament to the strength of the JB community!
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 is established, and for 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.
We are full of enthusiasm, confidence and determination that, together, we can build an even stronger community. Thank you all for your continued support and dedication to live music in Edinburgh. We hope to be in a position to welcome you to the new Jazz Bar very soon!
Warmest regards,
The Jazz Bar CIC Team
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-new-jazz-bar-saving-the-music