The exclusive research estimates that consumer spend driven by live music hit £6.7bn—a record figure and a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. It caps a remarkable post-COVID recovery for the sector, and 2024’s figure was over £2bn more than in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic decimated live music across the UK.
Spending in 2024 was driven by a very strong line-up of live music that included some blockbuster shows, led by Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. Live concerts attracted three quarters (75.3%) of total spending, with significantly faster growth than festivals, which accounted for 24.7%.
The research from LIVE and CGA by NIQ also highlights the importance of live music as a source of jobs. The sector employed more than 234,000 people on a permanent and casual basis in 2024—a 2.2% increase year-on-year, and 11.7% more than in 2019.
However, the report sets out significant challenges for live music businesses in 2025—especially for grassroot music venues, which have been vulnerable to inflationary pressures. Extra payroll costs after increases in National Minimum and Living Wages and National Insurance contributions from April have deepened problems for many employers.
Other insights from the UK Live Music Report include:
- Greater London attracted a third (3%) of all consumer spending on live concerts in 2024, with Manchester and Glasgow the next biggest cities
- Pop music was the single biggest live music genre in 2024 with a 1% share of all spending—a year-on-year increase of 4.7 percentage points
- Live music remains a major source of employment for freelancers, and a LIVE survey reveals nearly three quarters (73%) of them think it a great industry to work in.
The Live Music Report combines data from operators, associations, music licensing bodies and ticket agencies with CGA by NIQ’s proprietary hospitality research sources. It is based on data from more than 55,000 gigs, concerts, festivals and events where music was a core part of the entertainment, and captures box office income, venue spend and spend immediately before and after attending events.
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, while 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.”
Steve Lamacq, Chair of LIVE said, “It is a really exciting time for live music. More and more people have enjoyed going to gigs over the past year. There’s more shows, more choice and incredibly one live gig every 137 seconds. 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. 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.”
Reuben Pullan, senior insight consultant at CGA by NIQ, said: “These numbers show the immense contribution of live music to the UK economy. It significantly outperformed the wider hospitality and leisure sectors for growth in 2024, and the lucrative reunion of Oasis is likely to make 2025 a very strong year too. While major-league artists and big cities inevitably dominate, our report also shows it supports the economic and cultural life of every region of the UK, and beyond pop, indie and rock there is a very long tail of genres that entertain the nation. This is an incredibly rich diversity of entertainment, but it is built on the foundations of small venues that deserve much more help then they currently get.”
Download the UK Live Music 2024 Report here.
About LIVE
LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) is the voice of the UK’s live music and entertainment business. LIVE members are a federation of 16 live music industry associations representing 3,159 businesses, over 35,000 British artists and 2,000 backstage workers.
LIVE works to ensure that the interests of live music in the UK are understood and communicated to Government, policymakers, regulators, the public and the wider music and entertainment industries.
LIVE was initially formed in response to the unprecedented pressure and devastation faced by the industry due to COVID-19 and is structured around four pillars: lobbying, economic analysis, messaging, and skills & diversity. Its work is driven by a series of sub committees on topics including festivals & outdoor events, venues, touring, people and sustainability. https://livemusic.biz/
