Liverpool City Council’s Post

Grassroots music venues are extremely important, not just for the development of future talent, but for the cultures that don't produce popular music artists. Friends in the folk music community have been reaching out recently to our fellows to pre-buy tickets to gigs because venues cannot put events on without knowing capacities. It is hard for Grassroots Venues to know if their night is going to be profitable if there is no previous information on the artists, for example, a sell out stadium tour or a multi-albim record deal. Grassroots music, as an artist, is about finding your feet and what works well with your music. It's about finding your audience, and ultimately making money doing the thing you love doing above all else. Often grassroots artists have a full time job because playing at your local venue doesn't pay as well as becoming a high paid, record producing artist, who becomes a household name. Grassroots venues are smaller, their in towns and villages, and they bring in genres of music that don't permiate into the collective psyche. They bring together religions, cultures, beliefs and emotions from all walks of life. Without them some of your household names wouldn't exist. This report shows how many of these important venues are closing because we are not supporting them. There's something to be said about large music venue atmospheres, because it brings a vibe that everyone is a part of. But those intimate concert/gig venues bring about community feelings and emotions that to an artist can't be replicated in a larger venue. I believe in grassroots venues and I just want to know if you all do too? https://lnkd.in/enA9wr7R

Are We Letting Red Tape Choke NSW’s Music Scene? Another cancellation at White Bay Power Station, and it’s about more than just the music. The House of Mince has had to cancel their one-day house music event due to NSW’s restrictive "high-risk" designation for festivals. The **Music Festivals Act** continues to burden organisers with user-pays police costs that can skyrocket up to **12x higher** than in other states. For many, it’s financially impossible to stage events without massive compliance costs that threaten to kill the vibe before it even starts. If we’re serious about preserving Sydney’s status as a cultural hub, it’s time for bold solutions: 1. **Revise the Act** – Let’s stop treating every music event like a high-risk operation. NSW must align with other states that embrace, rather than discourage, live music events. 2. **Permanent Venues, Less Waste** – We need to reduce the reliance on temporary event infrastructure in places like **The Domain** and **Parramatta Park**. For repeat festivals, permanent infrastructure is the way forward, cutting down on waste and boosting the sustainability of our live music scene. 3. **A Real Support Package** – Festivals shouldn't be burdened with unsustainable costs just to meet over-the-top police and ambulance requirements. It’s time to provide real support for organisers so they can deliver affordable, safe, and thrilling experiences for festival-goers. The historic **White Bay Power Station** could be a permanent venue that breathes new life into Sydney’s cultural landscape, but only if we cut the red tape. With rising costs and NSW’s reputation suffering internationally, we must act fast before we lose more festivals and artists to states that better support their live music culture. NSW needs to embrace innovation, support permanent infrastructure, and champion the arts. #NSWMusic #FestivalCulture #LindaMorrisSMH #Sustainability #WhiteBayPowerStation #HouseOfMince #PermanentVenues #ReviseTheAct #SupportLiveMusic #Sydney #criticalthinking #creativityandinnovation #themandalasocial

Although the initial title of this article might suggest that the entertainment and music sector in the UK is thriving, the truth is quite the opposite. For instance, figures like "the South West has seen an 86% increase in music tourism, rising from one million in 2022 to two million in 2023" indicate positive news. It is fantastic that the boost to local economies and jobs over the festival summer period continues to support growth. However, as I have written about previously and in line with the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), over 50 UK festivals have been completely closed, postponed, or cancelled for 2024. This highlights the much deeper financial strain and pressures behind the scenes. With the recent change in government, let's hope that proactive measures are put in place to support the heart of this sector in the UK. 🙏 #concessions #management #festivals #musicsector #entertainment https://lnkd.in/dj2R7pan

This is an important and ongoing trend for the UK’s Festival Industry, which I explored in my Final Year Dissertation, the findings of which included: a reduced total supply of festivals with a higher market concentration and increased real ticket prices. In combination, these factors benefit big actors, the likes of Live Nation and AEG, and make it harder for all independent promoters. The Association of Independent Festivals, UK Music Ltd and Chris Anderton have all provided research that highlights the numerous benefits of music festivals and the ongoing troubles faced. Initiatives like 5%-For-Festivals are spreading awareness to the public and government to support this industry. For anyone who's ever experienced the magic of a festival, it's important to educate yourself and get involved in this cause.

10/10 recommend getting a job that involves attending music festivals. Our "first look" at When We Were Young Festival is at 679K organic impressions and 48K interactions, making it the 4th most-viewed of their 69 in-feed videos—just behind a proposal, Pierce the Veil, and My Chemical Romance. Considering this video highlighted sponsors by name (typically less engaging), that's a huge win. What helped it perform: - Fast-paced "hook" with 9 shots in the first 5 seconds - Engaging VO: “WWWY doors just opened, and I speed-ran the festival to show you everything!” - Text Hook: “The Emo Fans Have Taken Over the Vegas Strip” (Key insight: it is different from the VO) - A little humor and conversational tone helped it land (like ‘How did they get my teenage bedroom here?!’ The VO opening line was planned, but I stayed flexible on the ground to capture everything in real-time. From the moment the gates opened, I filmed, edited, and posted the video—all within 4 hours, including approvals! Shoutout to our team for quick approvals via text and nailing a smooth live post. 🙌 Props to festival and sports social teams for constantly crushing real-time content—it’s a grind! I love that we can flex into it for big events, but it doesn’t have to be our daily hustle.

There's been a bit of chatter lately about this podcast and the accompanying NPR article. The title of the podcast is hyperbolic, but the truth is that the music festival landscape is approaching a time of turbulence worldwide. It's been a little while since I was involved in producing music festivals, but I still follow the industry closely and remain a fan. From what I can see, the warning signs are there. As the podcast and article highlight, festival production costs, especially post-pandemic, have skyrocketed, making it harder for many — particularly mid-tier festivals — to survive. On top of that, the festival boom of the late 2010s has flooded the market, diluting the impact of major destination festivals. In my opinion, the issues facing the festival industry boil down to two main factors: culture and talent. 1 - Culture: Gen Z isn’t attending festivals like previous generations. Unlike Millennials, who grew up with social media-driven FOMO and prioritized shared experiences, Gen Z is more interested in technology for its own sake, rather than as a tool for socializing. The Instagram days of sharing festival experiences with friends have been replaced by TikTok’s more performative, individual-focused platform. Gen Z doesn’t see festivals as compelling anymore. Kevin Lyman called it in 2017. 2 - Talent: Who's going to headline Coachella, Bonnaroo, or Lollapalooza in 2025? More importantly, who deserves to? I’ll take some heat for this, but there’s just not enough headlining talent left. Not enough to anchor multi-day festivals and draw 80,000 people. Beyoncé, Kanye, and Justin Bieber are touring in 2025. Maybe Beyoncé returns to Coachella, but I don’t see her anywhere else. Who’s willing to book Kanye? And how relevant is Beiber today? Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna have reportedly already turned down Coachella, and Radiohead isn’t touring next year. Maybe Chappell Roan can, but she just played most of these fests this past summer and there are questions already surfacing about her future prospects, considering some of the issues popping up. The days of Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Jay-Z, DMB, Beastie Boys, Elton John, Eminem, Rage Against The Machine, Daft Punk, and Phish headlining are mostly gone. The talent pool of must-see, larger-than-life acts that can command 100,000 fans has dwindled. Festivals are facing serious challenges. Ok, bring on the criticism!

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔 𝔽𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕤: 𝓔𝓿𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓲𝓮 (Good news: there’s already a model) Good post below from Alex Machurov on the so-called “death” of the festival. Music festivals will need to evolve—or they won’t survive. I believe they can, but they’ll have to adapt. Here’s how. 1. Festivals Will Survive But They’ll Shrink Music festivals won’t vanish entirely. They’re like breweries: Millennials and Xennials will always love them, have weddings in them, not hear each other in them because breweries are warehouses, etc. But there will be fewer larger festivals, and those festivals that survive will continue to age up along with the audience. 2. Gen Z and Alpha Aren’t into (Unplanned) Chaos To understand the future of festivals, you need to understand Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These generations came of age during the pandemic, mastering connection through virtual means. They know how to socialize without needing to be physically present. This is a compliment btw, not a critique. It’s not that GenZ+A hate crowds, but they dislike the unpredictability that festivals thrive ultimately on. The same chaotic vibe that attracts older generations? It turns off Gen Z and Alpha. (And, frankly, me!) 3. So, What’s the Future of Music Communities? Look to Nerd Conventions There’s already a working model for adaption: nerd conventions (source: I am a nerd). Nerd conventions have long figured out how to create curated chaos. Cons can definitely be chaotic; they're a little like a high school theater shows in that what happens in the back is nuts but what happens out front is organized (probably because many con-planners & goers are current or former theater nerds). But they're far less chaotic than music festivals. How do con-planners do it? • Clear communication: Con organizers excel at preparing attendees with detailed, frequent, early communication. In comparison, music festivals often fall short in this area, relying too much on marketing and brand. Given that record labels' brands mean so little, I'm frankly surprised festivals have lasted this long. • Micro-niches: Cons allow niche communities to flourish, often with attendees creating their own organic subgroups on-site. They respond actively to organic engagement. Planning for next year's con often begins at that year's con, in tandem and concert with con-goers from that year. 4. The Future of Live Music Is Dispersion, Not Accumulation We’re moving from the Long Tail to the Big Spread—where communities are dense and meaningful but smaller in size. It’s no longer about the festival brand or even the acts themselves. Instead, live music will be incorporated more significantly into the unique culture of its niche community. Basically...music exists in the context of which it lives and all that came before. I’ve loved music festivals, but I’m ready to say goodbye and explore what’s next. You? What does the future of live music look like?

Really pleased with the Government’s response to the Culture, Media and Sport’s Committee report into Grassroots Music Venues. Fully agree with their recommendations that the music industry needs to, as soon as possible, realise the goal of creating a ticket levy that benefits the Grassroots Music sector. And that if it doesn’t do so that they reserve the right to reopen proceedings around the issue to explore statutory options. As a member of Music Venue Properties which is a charitable community benefit society that was created to bring grassroots venues into community ownership, I’m also glad to read that they will be introducing a new community right to buy. Community ownership harnesses the remarkably democratic power of local communities. This concept should be supported so that more communities can own their own grassroots venues and become stakeholders in their future. As the report notes “the grassroots music sector is the backbone of the entire music evosystem, extending far beyond venues to include promoters, artists, the creative workforce, recording studios, rehearsal spaces and outdoors events and festivals. Grassroots is where experimentation happens, where new genres are born, and where audiences can experience raw unfiltered performances that are central to the continued evolution of our music scene”. Bravo Music Venue Trust Well worth reading the full response here:

What is Happening to Glastonbury? This week, most of my conversations have revolved around the historic Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm. Founded by Sir Michael Eavis, the festival has grown into an internationally acclaimed event since its inception in 1970. Now welcoming 200,000 people each year, music lovers from all over the world travel to experience the festival's unique atmosphere. Despite the high demand for tickets, which far exceeds supply, this year I have sensed a shift in enthusiasm due to what many perceive as a lacklustre lineup. The Pyramid Stage in 2024 featured headliners SZA, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa. SZA, whose music gained popularity through TikTok, might seem an unusual choice for such a prestigious festival, suggesting Glastonbury is veering towards mainstream appeal. Coldplay, headlining for the fifth time, delivered a performance that lacked lasting impact despite playing back-to-back hits. Dua Lipa, a constant presence in the charts, also represented a shift away from the festival's previous headliners in 2023: Arctic Monkeys, Sir Elton John, and Guns N' Roses, setting a troubling precedent. Is this lineup a true reflection of today's music industry? If so, how could it change so drastically in just a year? Was Sir Elton John in 2023 a nod to a golden era of music that can’t be replicated or revived? Or is this the dawn of a new era with artists such as Fontaines D.C, and Olivia Dean who performed but perhaps should have been given more prominence?  Financial concerns are unlikely to be the influence of these choices. The festival sells out yearly, driven by its legendary status rather than the headliners. The motivation to feature more commercial mainstream artists might be separate. Additionally, the shift in responsibility from Michael Eavis to his daughter Emily, who is taking on more control over the festival due to Sir Michael’s growing age, might also be influencing these changes. Should I embrace these changes and let go of the past? Or should the music industry uphold certain standards for headliners? The future of Glastonbury might lie in finding a balance between honouring its roots and evolving with the times. While the lineup might not be as strong as in previous years, Glastonbury's environment remains unmatched. The festival's multitude of secret sets, intimate stages, and its loving atmosphere contribute to its legendary status, which is hard to diminish, even with a weaker lineup.

Will the Wettest Summer in a Century Ruin Outdoor Music Festivals? According to the Evening Standard, the UK could face its wettest summer in a century, with up to 50 days of rain. This forecast presents a significant challenge for the outdoor music festival scene. Will the rain ruin this summer’s events? Not necessarily. Recent events like the City Splash Festival demonstrated that even heavy downpours can't dampen the spirit of music lovers. Despite the rain, festival-goers enjoyed vibrant performances from artists such as Shenseea, Beenie Man, Capleton, and Busy Signal, making the audience forget about the mud and weather (Skiddle). Looking ahead, Glastonbury 2024 is rumored to feature an incredible lineup, including Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA, Shania Twain, LCD Soundsystem, Burna Boy, and many more. Additionally, there are speculations about The Killers, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, and AC/DC joining the roster (LBC). With dates set for June 26th to June 30th, attendees can expect an unforgettable experience despite the weather challenges. Glastonbury is renowned for its resilience in adverse weather conditions, often keeping the festival going despite the rain. In preparation for the potential wet weather, event organizers are proactively improving logistics to ensure a seamless festival experience. From enhancing drainage and waterproofing stages to providing ample shelter options, every detail is being considered to prioritize attendee safety and enjoyment. Clear communication about weather forecasts and any necessary schedule adjustments will be paramount to keep attendees informed and engaged. Flexibility is key, with plans in place to adapt as needed, including the possibility of rescheduling or relocating performances to ensure the music never stops. This proactive approach reflects the industry's commitment to resilience and innovation, ensuring that live music thrives, rain or shine. Let's make this summer's festivals unforgettable for all the right reasons. #EventPlanning #MusicIndustry #OutdoorEvents #WeatherChallenges #LiveMusic #Resilience #Innovation