BLIMEY! U.K. LIVE SECTOR HIT £6B IN '23

The U.K.’s live-music industry contributed more than £6b to the country's economy last year, up 17% from 2022, according to data from trade body LIVE.

The org’s annual Live Music Report also says the sector rose 35% compared to pre-pandemic figures from 2019. Live music in the U.K. supported jobs for nearly 230k people in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019.

Thanks to major tours by artists such as Beyoncé and Coldplay (pictured), the growth is largely attributed to concert revenue, which increased 19% year-over-year to account for 73.5% of the £6b.

In 2023 London accounted for nearly a third (30.6%) of total live-music revenue. Manchester took the second-highest at 7.4%, while Glasgow claimed the lead in Scotland with 5.5% of the U.K.’s share.

But LIVE CEO Jon Collins warned of the "significant" challenges that remain for festivals and venues; last year, 36 festivals were canceled and 125 grassroots music venues in the U.K. permanently closed.

Collins urged the new Labour government to reintroduce a lower rate of VAT on tickets to “bring the U.K. into line with international competitors.” He continued, “With a lower rate of VAT on tickets, we could see the sector grow further, supporting more jobs, generating more investment and putting on more gigs, festivals and tours for people to enjoy.”

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