Jackmaster and Groove Armada are among the artists backing the campaign to protect the country’s nightlife.

The UK’s Night Time Industries Association has launched a campaign aimed at preseving the country’s nightlife, which will be accompanied by a year-long programme of club nights, talks and exhibitions.

The #nightlifematters campaign comes backed by a host of DJs including Jackmaster, Groove Armada, Eats Everything and B.Traits, and has the support of major clubs including London’s Fabric, Glasgow’s Sub Club and Bristol’s Motion.

The campaign allows supporters to show their support for the country’s nightlife with a petition at its website, and will kick off with six nights in six cities across the UK. The programme has yet to be announced, but Seth Troxler, Craig Richards, Kano, Dusky, Lady Leshurr and Shy FX are all confirmed to be appearing.

The campaign comes at a difficult time for the UK’s nightlife. Last year it was reported that clubs were closing at “an alarming rate,” with almost half of venues closing since 2005.

The problems have also attracted the attention of London mayor Boris Johnson, who last month announced the Night Time Commission, an investigation into how best to protect and manage the UK capital’s night time economy.

Earlier this month London lost one of its best loved small clubs, Dance Tunnel, which blamed its closure on the “licensing climate” in Hackney.