The Royal Albert Hall in London has become the first arena to commit to the £1 LIVE ticket levy to help support grassroots venues.
With the decision, the historic venue has become the first 5,000+ capacity arena to commit to the levy – which sees £1 from every ticket sold invested back into the UK’s live music scene and helps smaller venues keep their doors open.
From October 1 2025, a £1 ticket contribution will be added to all commercial rock and pop concerts at the Hall. This will raise an estimated £300,000 per annum for the LIVE Trust.
“By embracing the £1 contribution and becoming the first arena where it is ‘always on’, we are adding this charity’s name to the growing momentum around the £1 grassroots contribution,” said James Ainscough OBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Albert Hall and founding trustee of the LIVE Trust. “[I] look forward to playing my part in ensuring that every pound raised has the maximum impact, securing a thriving grassroots music sector for generations to come.”
Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant added that he was “delighted that the Royal Albert Hall has made this milestone commitment”, while Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, added that she believes the move is “a fantastic boost for this initiative”.
Jon Collins, Chief Executive of LIVE, continued: “For such an important and iconic venue as the Royal Albert Hall to make this commitment is a huge indicator of the growing levels of confidence in the LIVE Trust.
“With an ever-increasing schedule of major tours announcing their support alongside numerous individual company initiatives, which are creating new revenue opportunities, the LIVE Trust is well placed to begin its mission to support grassroots music across the UK, he added. “We thank the team at the Royal Albert Hall for this forward-thinking and innovative announcement and hope that others will be inspired to follow suit.”
The decision comes as the UK music scene continues to face the “complete collapse” of touring, with huge areas going without live music, one venue closing every two weeks, and the uphill struggle for artists to afford to exist, let alone play live.
It has also been reported that the number of artists touring across the UK and abroad has fallen by as much as 74 per cent compared to pre-pandemic figures.
A recent Music Fans’ Voice survey showed that 93 per cent of fans agreed that £1 from every arena and stadium ticket should be donated to support the grassroots, and last spring, a government committee of UK MPs joined the call for a levy on arena and stadium gigs – as well as a cut in VAT.
In December, they pushed for concrete measures to be put in place by the end of 2025, and said that if venues do not volunteer to invest back into the grassroots spaces, the government will take action.
“We want to see a voluntary levy on arena and stadium tickets come into effect as soon as possible for concerts in 2025. To meet this timeline, we want to see tangible progress across the music industry by the first quarter of 2025,” said Sir Chris Bryant MP – Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries.
He also announced that he would be holding a ministerial roundtable with live music representatives to drive progress, and that the Committee would be holding a hearing with the sector at some point this summer should no significant progress on a voluntary levy be made.
Huge names who have been supportive of a £1 ticket levy include Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry – who have all vowed to donate a portion of their tour revenues to support the grassroots sector.
In May, Wolf Alice‘s Joff Oddie also joined industry leaders at a government hearing and insisted that not enough progress was being made in saving venues and new artists. Then, the month prior, it was reported that UK tour ticket contributions have raised £500,000 for grassroots music venues thanks to artists like Pulp and Mumford & Sons.
The LIVE trust will offer vital financial support to those working across live music, and also looks to support numerous corners of the live music ecosystem, offering backing to venues, artists, festivals and promoters.
The push for change comes as 2023 proved to be “disastrous” and the worst year on record, with 125 grassroots music venues shutting their doors. At the beginning of the year, it was also reported that 70.6 per cent of independent UK acts have never toured, while 84 per cent of unsigned artists simply can’t afford to.
Visit here to find out more about the LIVE Trust and the £1 ticket levy.
