OPINION
A window of opportunity
Featured Artists Coalition CEO David Martin on why the industry has a limited window of opportunity to act on the Government-backed call for a blanket levy at the biggest live events to support grassroots venues , festivals , artists and promoters
For the live music industry , the pressure is now officially on to deliver a blanket ticket levy at large-scale shows to help alleviate the challenges of touring at grassroots gigs .
For artists , those challenges are selfevident . Touring at small-capacity shows has always been tough . Audience-building is a long-term process . The costs of rehearsing , performing and travelling are endless , and frequently outweigh any immediate financial returns .
Despite receiving a ‘ guarantee ’, artists are frequently the only member of a touring party not guaranteed to be paid - while levels of label tour support that once propped up loss-making tours have long disappeared .
Since the pandemic - when , before we forget , British artists faced the double whammy of losing all their live work and being cut adrift from Government support packages - these challenges have exacerbated dramatically .
Unlike many arena and stadium shows , where sales are buoyant and ticket prices have inflated dramatically and dynamically , spending at grassroots gigs has been constrained .
Rising prices means artists are staring down the barrel of a cost of touring crisis . Collectively , this has left the wider industry with an existential dilemma : What happens when the elastic band snaps and artists can no longer afford to tour ?
In March 2024 , I joined English Teacher ’ s Lily Fontaine and the MMF ’ s Kwame Kwaten to highlight this critical situation to MPs sitting on the Culture Media & Sport Committee . We made it clear that , as well as providing the product that is sold in the live sector ( performances ) and attracting audiences , artists are also its biggest employers .
When they cut back on shows , the knock-on impacts are massive - for session musicians , managers , venues , promoters , crew , ticket agents , and everyone else .
“ WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ELASTIC BAND SNAPS AND ARTISTS CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO TOUR ?”
Two months after our evidence session , the Committee delivered a string of recommendations - notably that a grassroots music levy should be introduced by September 2024 and administered through a trust set up by the umbrella body LIVE . Importantly , this grassroots music fund should be made available to artists , managers , independent promoters and venues .
This would make it distinct from existing support , like the £ 5m Supporting Grassroots Music ( SGM ) Fund , which artists are not eligible to apply for .
David Martin
The Committee also set a strict timetable . If the music business were unable to deliver these changes voluntarily , then the Government should step in and make them mandatory .
With September a fast-receding memory , this is the position we now find ourselves in .
The LIVE Trust exists as a concept to fairly , transparently and independently distribute the proceeds of a ticket levy . But we have no levy . On 14th November , the Government endorsed the Committee ’ s recommendations and reiterated the urgency for the industry to get our act together - albeit without setting out a timescale for further action .
Acknowledging this , Dame Caroline Dinenage MP , the chair of the Culture Committee has dialled up the pressure - stating she will convene a sector-wide hearing in six months ’ time if no significant progress is made .
The FAC has warmly welcomed these words , and committed to double down our own efforts to achieve consensus at the boardroom of LIVE . Although the clock is now ticking , we as an industry now have a real window of opportunity to do the right thing - to agree a small blanket levy at the biggest live events , that can help reinvigorate all at the grassroots .
Even within the complex and arcane ecosystem of live music , this does not appear the most insurmountable task . But if we fail , there is potential for a chastening and embarrassing reckoning in May 2025 , one we can ’ t say we weren ’ t warned about in advance .
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