REPORT: U.K. TOUR DATES DOWN 50%

Ongoing challenges faced by the U.K.’s live sector have been highlighted in a BBC report indicating that artists are playing 11 shows on an average tour of U.K. grassroots venues compared to 22 in 1994, according to stats from the Music Venue Trust.

The org says its members are expected to sell 15m tickets this year, down from the usual 20m. Jon Collins, CEO of trade body LIVE, said the drastic drop in tour dates reflects what’s happening at mid-capacity and arena-level venues, too.

Speaking at Manchester’s Beyond the Music conference, artist Sam Duckworth said the reduction in gigs is due to rising costs that make longer tours unsustainable. “If tours are running at a loss, the best way to stem those losses is to do less shows,” he said.

As a result, Collins echoed calls for a drop in VAT on gig tickets from 20%. Also speaking at the event, the U.K.’s newly appointed culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said protecting grassroots venues, over 100 of which closed last year, is high on her agenda.

“As live music venues have closed, too many parts of the country have become cultural deserts,” she said. “That is the chance to live a larger, richer life, that should belong to us all, denied to a generation. We are determined to reverse that trend by creating an ecosystem that can nurture talent from a quality music education to the grassroots venues where people like The Verve (pictured) from Wigan were able to hone their skills."