UK Government backs ticket levy on stadium and arena shows to help grassroots venues

The British government has backed a voluntary ticket levy on stadium and arena shows to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector.

The introduction of the levy – recommended earlier this year by Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) – would mean that every ticket sold at an arena or stadium would contain a financial contribution in support of grassroots music venues, promoters and artists. It is hoped that the levy will help stem the tide of small grassroots music venue closures in the United Kingdom.

“Grassroots music venues are one of the UK’s most valuable and yet undervalued cultural assets,” said Creative Industries minister, Chris Bryant, in today’s statement (14th November). “That is why I’m urging the industry voluntarily to introduce a ticket levy on the biggest commercial players, to help ensure the health and future success of our entire live music industry for decades to come.”

The government has said it wants the voluntary levy to come into effect “as soon as possible” so that it can be applied to arena and stadium shows taking place in 2025, whilst emphasising the importance of an “industry-led” approach to implementation.

“The ball is firmly in the court of the music industry to quickly and voluntarily establish the mechanisms for delivering the grassroots ticketing contribution,” said the Music Venue Trust (MVT) in a statement on social media this afternoon (14th November).

“This represents the single most significant shift in more than fifty years of British music in the basic mechanics of how the live industry financial supports new and emerging talent, the spaces which host it, and the people who take risks to present it.

“The Government’s response is so robust and unequivocal in its support for our grassroots music venues, artists and promoters, that it is now a question of HOW and WHEN the grassroots ticketing contribution from stadium and arenas is enacted, and not if.

“MVT is at the centre of those discussions and having daily conversations with the individuals at the very top of the industry. And the message is clear – get around the table and get this done or expect a statutory levy.”

In a statement, CMS Committee chair, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said she welcomed the government’s recognition that “swift action on a levy is needed,” but warned that “the lack of a firm deadline for movement risks allowing matters to drift.”

She continued: “Without healthy roots, the entire live music ecosystem suffers, so it is vital that the wider industry recognises the urgency of coming up with a scheme to direct a proportion of profits back to where many careers began. “The Committee will keep banging the drum to make sure both the industry and Government plays it part in protecting our live performance ecosystem.”

Read the full statement from the Music Venue Trust below, and the report from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport here.

Earlier this week, Bristol council put forward proposals to introduce a £1 ticket levy to support local venues and “transform the music industry in the city”.