LIVE CEO Jon Collins (above, left) has called for more support for the live sector, promising further growth “as long as the industry and government protect and nurture the ecosystem”.
His comments come as the body publishes its annual report for 2024, incorporating analysis from 55,000 gigs, concerts, festivals and events.
The report said that consumer spend reached a record £6.68 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%, and 28.2% more than in 2022 and over £2bn more than in 2019.
Data also illustrated that one gig took place every 137 seconds across the UK in 2024, with acts including Taylor Swift, Charli XCX and Dua Lipa powering “mainstream pop” to account for 32.1% of consumer spend from the top 2,000 concerts of the year – a year-on-year increase of 4.7%.
2024 was a standout year for LIVE as we took our seat at the top table of Government
Jon Collins, LIVE
Festival spending rose by 1.9%, while concert turnover jumped by 12.2%, with concerts attracting 75.3% of live music spending in 2024, up nearly 2% from 2023.
Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE,said: “2024 was a standout year for LIVE as we took our seat at the top table of Government. While UK live music continued the post-lockdown trend of strong performance for the biggest names at the biggest venues, pressure built across our grassroots as venues closed, tours were cancelled or cut back and festivals called time. And yet, as the figures in this report show, we can be a driver of that growth in all regions, towns and cities across the country. Live music is a joyous experience and venues and festivals of all shapes and sizes, operated by world-class teams and showcasing world-class established and emerging talent, will continue to delight audiences for decades to come as long as industry and Government protects and nurtures the ecosystem.”
The slowing of growth in music festivals is partly attributed to inflation, an issue a press release suggested “could be offset if the Government introduced a much-needed festival tax relief”.
London attracted 28.9% of all expenditure in 2024, a marginally lower share than in 2023. Manchester gained ground, partly thanks to the opening of the Co-op Live, and Glasgow was the UK’s third biggest city for live music.
The live business employed more than 234,000 people in 2024 — a 2.2% increase year-on-year, with the data indicating that approximately four in five (78.8%) jobs in live music are casual or freelance.
With the launch of the LIVE Trust, we hope to make sure that those crucial small venues can survive and flourish
Steve Lamacq, LIVE
The LIVE Trust was launched earlier this year and, with trustees now appointed and commitments to the £1 levy from a number of artists playing stadium and arena shows in 2025 and 2026, it is expecting to be able to offer financial support to the grassroots sector.
Steve Lamacq, chair of LIVE, (above, right) said that we are living in “a really exciting time for live music” with “more and more people enjoying going to gigs over the past year”.
“There are more shows, more choice and incredibly one live gig every 137 seconds,” he added. “It’s testimony to the fact that live music brings people together and provides experiences and memories that will stay with us for years to come.”
Lamacq added: “Whether that’s a mega star in a stadium or an up-and-coming band or artist playing their heart out in your local grassroots venue, live music is the most exciting, immediate and sometimes life-changing part of the music industry. With the launch of the LIVE Trust, we hope to make sure that those crucial small venues can survive and flourish so that they can continue to nurture the acts that’ll be filling venues and headlining festivals in years to come.”
Read our interview with Collins and Lamacq here.
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