Fatboy Slim Boards Community Ownership Scheme to Save Brighton's The Pipeline

Brighton local Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, has invested in The Pipeline to secure its future as a community-owned space. The acquisition was facilitated by Music Venue Properties (MVP), a charitable wing of the Music Venue Trust designed to buy out venue freeholds and protect them from urban development. Previously an East London staple, The Pipeline moved to Brighton in 2017. By placing the building under community ownership, the venue avoids the threat of being converted into residential flats and secures a sustainable, fair-rent agreement. Cook described the move as an ethical investment rather than a donation, calling on other established artists to reinvest in the industry's lower rungs. For MVP, the goal remains clear: permanent protection for the small spaces that nurture the next generation of DJs and performers. Securing the physical space allows operators to stop fighting real estate battles and return to programming. It’s a blueprint for grassroots survival in an increasingly hostile economic climate.