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Home » OBSERVATION & RESEARCH
  • OBSERVATION & RESEARCH

    STUDY – CHALLENGES OF LIVE MUSIC VENUES IN EU CITIES

    PUBLICATION 2025

    The study commissioned by Live DMA in 2024 highlights the pressing challenges faced by small and medium-sized live music venues in European cities. These venues play a vital role in supporting cultural diversity, fostering emerging talent, and strengthening local communities. However, they are increasingly threatened by gentrification, economic instability, shifting audience behavior, and inadequate public support. Drawing on insights from 16 venues and stakeholders across Europe, the study outlines the complex pressures reshaping the live music landscape and explores potential strategies for adaptation.

    ENGLISH
    SUMMARY
    MAP OF CHALLENGES

    CHALLENGES PER TOPIC

    GENTRIFICATION
    NOISE COMPLAINTS
    INFLATION
    LACK OF RECOGNITION
    HUMAN RESOURCES
    AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR
    PROGRAMMING

    Literature review – gender equality in live music

    PUBLICATION 2025

    This literature review, written by the researcher Grace Goodwin, explore themes around gender and live music such as festival line ups, gendered employment in the live sector, sexualised violence in live music spaces and the challenges of establishing an effective methodology for gender data collection. The review concludes by considering some of the solutions implemented to tackle gender inequality in the live music sector.

    ENGLISH

    THE SURVEY – FACTS & FIGURES OF THE LIVE MUSIC SECTOR

    DATA 2019-2022 – PUBLICATION 2025

    This new report shows that rising costs are challenging for live music venues and clubs across Europe. A major concern is that venues, especially private ones, are being forced to cut back on innovative and diverse programming to survive financially. Emerging artists, niche genres, and risk-taking performances are often sacrificed in favor of more commercially viable acts, reducing the sector’s cultural diversity.

    SUMMARY
    ENGLISH
    FRENCH

    PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS

    • SURVEY REPORT DATA 2019-2020: ENGLISH / SPANISH / FRENCH
    • COVID19 IMPACT ON VENUES & CLUBS: ENGLISH / FRENCH
    • COVID19 KEY NUMBERS 2020: ENGLISH
    • SURVEY REPORT DATA 2017: ENGLISH / FRENCH / SPANISH
    • SURVEY REPORT DATA 2015: ENGLISH
    • SURVEY REPORT DATA 2013: ENGLISH

    ANALYSIS – VOLUNTEERING FOR POPULAR MUSIC

    PUBLICATION 2024

    This resource provides a condensed overview of research on volunteering in the live music sector, highlighting different cultural approaches, motivations, benefits, and risks. It also includes a panorama of legal definitions of volunteering in different European countries. Dive into the role of a volunteer, the advantage of this position, but also the risks linked to volunteering in the live music sector.

    ENGLISH
    SUMMARY

    STUDY – EXPLORING BOOKING PRACTICES IN EUROPE

    PUBLICATION 2024

    Released in early 2024, this study aims to talk about the realities of the peculiar position of being a music booker, by giving an overview of who the bookers are and highlight the main challenges of music programming. The idea was also to identify the main partners of a booker to allow more transparency within these operators and eventually pave the way for more social and artistic diversity. This research is a first step, aiming at fostering dialogue and exchange between peers and professionals of the live music sector, and reflect on the future of our European live music venues!

    ENGLISH
    SPANISH
    SUMMARY

    YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS!

    We would now like to build the future endeavours of this research with you! This place is for you to share your feedback, insights, hopes, wishes, needs, ideas, plans… with us, regarding booking practices. What did you think of the study? What would be an interesting follow-up? What would be useful to you?

    feedback box

    LIVE DMA INVENTORY

    Live DMA inventory is a useful tool that helps mapping the European live music sector. It shows the representation of the network with two main data: the number of venues, clubs and festivals per countries & their legal status.

    INVENTORY 2024
    INVENTORY 2021

    LIVE DMA MEMBERS’ REGIONAL STATISTICS

    LIVE DMA MEMBERREGIONFACTS & FIGURES REPORTS IN NATIONAL LANGUAGES
    ASACCCatalonia– ASACC Facts & Figures, data 2018
    COURT-CIRCUITBelgium (Wallonia-Brussels)– CCMA Etude sur la filière des musiques actuelles, data 2021
    – Court-Circuit Facts & Figures, data 2018
    DANSK LIVEDenmark– Danish Music Sales, data 2019
    – Danish Music Sales, data 2017
    FEDELIMAFrance– Key Figures, data 2022
    – Key Figures, data 2019
    – Key Figures, data 2018
    – Key Figures, data 2017
    – Key Figures, data 2016
    – Key Figures, data 2015
    – Key Figures, data 2014
    – Key Figures, data 2013
    – Key Figures, data 2012
    LiveFINFinland– Impact of Corona on live music industry, data 2021
    – Impact of Corona on live music industry, data 2020
    – Festival barometer, data 2020
    – Festival barometer, data 2018
    – Venue barometer, data 2020
    – Key Figures of Finnish rock clubs, data 2014
    LIVEKOMMGermany– German Club Study, data 2020/2021
    – Berlin Club Culture Study (Clubcommission), data 2018
    LIVE MUSIC ESTONIAEstonia– Report on small music venues in Estonia & Finland (2021)
    MUSIC VENUE TRUSTUK– The Grassroots Live Music Ecosystem, data 2019
    – UK Live Music Census, data 2017
    NKANorway– Norwegian Concert Organisers Statistics, data 2018
    – Norwegian Concert Organisers Statistics, data 2016
    – Norwegian Festival Statistics, data 2015
    – Norwegian Festival Statistics, data 2014
    VNPFThe Netherlands– Facts & Figures, data 2023
    – Facts & Figures, data 2022
    – Facts & Figures, corona data 2020 & 2021
    – Facts & Figures, data 2020
    – Facts & Figures, data 2019
    – Facts & Figures, data 2018
    – Facts & Figures, data 2017
    – Facts & Figures, data 2016
    – Trends Dutch music venues 2007-2015
    – Music Festival Atlas, data 2019
    – Music Festival Atlas, data 2018


    ✧ ✧ ✧

European network for live music venues,
clubs & festivals

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  • Our Network
    • About Live DMA
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    • Join Live DMA
    • Contact
    • Glossary
  • Our Projects
    • Network project Live Style Europe III
    • Working Groups
    • OBSERVATION & RESEARCH
    • Digital Safaris on Sustainability
    • Watchtower: Music Is Not Noise
    • Audience Development: The Try-Angle
    • Podcasts: Behind Live Music
  • Resource Platform
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    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Live DMA Panels & Conferences
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    • Overview of EU programmes
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