UK’s celebrated music coop says close to reopening
Lancaster Music Co-op [LMC] is a non-profit rehearsal facility and recording studio for the music community in north Lancashire
LONDON, December 21, 2025 — Campaigners fighting to save the home of a much-loved community music project have said they are getting “really close” to reopening, thanks to a special new compilation release.
Lancaster Music Co-op [LMC] is a non-profit rehearsal facility and recording studio for the music community in north Lancashire.
It was founded in 1985 with the likes of Maximo Park drummer Tom English, former James keyboard player Mark Hunter and The Prodigy playing there before its Lodge Street building was declared unsafe and shut in 2021.
The cooperative has now released a compilation of tracks donated by local artists in a push to fund major repairs and open its doors again.
The cooperative signed a 99-year lease with the city council in 2023 after agreeing to take on the work needed.
The building on Lodge Street, Lancaster, has had extensive renovation thanks to grant funding and a community fundraising campaign.
The co-op said it was “overwhelmed” by the response from musicians to donate tracks for the collaborative experiment, from the “hotly tipped” post-punk beat combo Morton Betts to the “poetic indie folk loveliness” of Dog Daisies.
The mixtape includes genres from house music to hardcore, all the way through to the folk music of 17-year-old Matilda Walden.
The 21 submissions are being released exclusively through the LMC’s Bandcamp page for a donation, and it said the money raised would go towards the renovations and also help buy equipment for those who will use its facilities next year.
Co-op director Derek Meins said: “The co-op has had an incredible 2025. We’ve welcomed musicians from the local area and all over the UK and danced along together.
“Our renovation project has progressed leaps and bounds and we can’t wait to show people how it’s looking in there as it’s getting really close.
“Fundamentally though, what we have all tried to do is keep our community together because without a community, there is no co-op.”
“The submissions we had truly reflect the diversity of our music community and we are hugely thankful to every musician or band kind enough to donate a track.”
SOURCE: BBC
https://thecooperator.news/music-coop-dream-still-alive-despite-funding-gap/
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
