{"id":106245,"date":"2025-10-20T12:58:46","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T11:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=106245"},"modified":"2025-10-20T12:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T11:58:48","slug":"live-nation-not-implementing-ticketing-levy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/live-nation-not-implementing-ticketing-levy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Live Nation blocking millions for grassroots music venues?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The world’s biggest promoter seems to not be doing its part to protect independent venues in the UK.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We’ve mentioned it a few times, but the need for the financial support of grassroots music venues is as pressing as ever. Discussions and proposals relating to a standardised ticket levy, as well as lump sum donations from arena-touring artists, felt like a glimmer of hope. But, is the live events behemoth and world’s largest promoter, Live Nation standing in the way of fundraising progress for smaller venues?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proposed solution has gained attention: a \u00a31 levy on tickets<\/a> for large arena and stadium shows. The levy, called for by the likes of Music Venue Trust<\/a> (MVT), LIVE<\/a>, and The Musician’s Union<\/a> could generate up to \u00a325 million a year, according to a report by The Guardian<\/a>, to support small venues. Fans have shown overwhelming support, with a poll of 8,000 people reporting 93% in favour, and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) backing the scheme. Major artists, such as Coldplay<\/a>, have pledged to donate a percentage of their arena tour ticket revenue to grassroots initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As The Guardian points out, some grassroots venues are already benefiting. Through the Liveline Fund, donations from arena shows have helped venues such as Hackney\u2019s Paper Dress Vintage replace equipment, Glasgow\u2019s Sub Club repair its \u201cbodysonic\u201d dancefloor, and The White Hotel maintain vital operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, progress has stalled somewhat. Data for 2025 shows that over 22 million out of 24.2 million eligible tickets were sold without contributing to the levy. The biggest reason? Live Nation, which controls about two-thirds of the major event ticket market, has yet to commit to the scheme. Venue owner Steve Dix told The Guardian, \u201cUntil the biggest [promoter] in the world, Live Nation, does the same, progress will be held back. Their participation is the missing piece that would turn this from a promising initiative into an industry standard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The voluntary levy model, which also has support from the UK government<\/a>, is deliberately fast and flexible, allowing funds to reach venues quickly. Critics argue that making it law could take years, while some worry about passing extra costs onto fans. Mike Grieve of Sub Club said, \u201cThere has been something of a mixed response \u2026 major concert promoters are already asking their customers to dig deep to pay for tickets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet even with these concerns, venue operators stress the levy\u2019s importance. Thin margins have forced many to avoid experimental bookings or new artists, making the funding vital. Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, warns, \u201cIf the market leader in an industry refuses to do what is now government policy, we should expect the government to take different action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live Nation has said it is \u201cproud to champion emerging artists and grassroots venues\u201d and that it \u201csupports the aims of the grassroots ticket levy.\u201d However, it failed to explicitly outline whether it will or won’t be implementing the levy. For small venues, artists, and fans, this is a critical moment. Whether Live Nation steps up or not certainly will influence the survival of grassroots music across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Distribute your music to all major streaming platforms around the world with RouteNote. Sign up today to get started.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world’s biggest promoter seems to not be doing its part to protect independent venues in the UK. We’ve mentioned it a few times, but the need for the financial support of grassroots music venues is as pressing as ever. Discussions and proposals relating to a standardised ticket levy, as well as lump sum donations from arena-touring artists, felt like a glimmer of hope. But, is the live events behemoth and world’s largest promoter, Live Nation standing in the way of fundraising progress for smaller venues? A proposed solution has gained attention: a \u00a31 levy on tickets for large arena…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":106246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1048],"tags":[962,30372],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs Live Nation blocking millions for grassroots music venues? - RouteNote Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While a ticketing levy has support across the music industry, Live Nation isn't implementing it on millions of tickets. 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