170,000 jobs lost in live music industry before end of 2020 as revenue falls by 80% posted: 23/10/2020
For the past 11 years, LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) in all its guises has been THE umbrella organisation that represents the UK's live music business. It's members include the Entertainment Agents' Association, the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM), the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO) the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), the Concert Promoters Association (CPA), the Music Managers Forum (MMF), the National Arenas Association (NAA), the Production Services Association (PSA) and the Music Venue Trust (MVT). In other words, the Live Music Supply Chain, in full.
New research published today shows that over 26,000 permanent jobs will be lost in the live music industry before the end of the year if Government support is withdrawn. In addition, 144,000 FTE roles, including self-employed and freelance workers, will have effectively ceased to exist by the end of 2020.
Revenue into the industry has been almost zero since March and 2020 with a fall of 81% compared to 2019. This is four times the national UK average, where reductions across industries run at around 20%.
The cliff edge being faced by live music's workforce is revealed in independent research conducted by Chris Carey and Tim Chambers for Media Insight Consulting. The report also reveals the positive impact of the Culture Recovery Fund, which has offered a lifeline to a range of businesses in the live music industry, but this is tempered by 80% of employees still being reliant on the furlough scheme which ends this month.
The research, carried out on behalf of LIVE, the umbrella group representing the live music industry, found:
In 2019 live music supported 210,000 full-time equivalent roles, as well as tens of thousands of freelancers.
In 2019, live music contributed £4.5 billion to the UK economy.
In 2020, revenue in the live music business will fall by 81%, and revenue has been close to zero since March.
76% of live music employees were utilising the furlough scheme, as of Aug 31st, 2020.
50% of permanent roles will be lost by the end of the year (26,100 jobs), while temporary and freelance roles have already been decimated.
The Culture Recovery Fund has had a significant impact, safeguarding around 10,000 at-risk employees (this is reflected in the headline statistics).
Following the lockdown in March, and the ongoing Government restrictions on venues and events, many of those working within the live music sector have received no income at all. The new Tier 2 and 3 restrictions put further limitations on the sector reopening, though the sector is currently excluded from the Government's Extended Job Support Scheme.
The recent indication from the Prime Minister that severe restrictions could be in place for a further six months will mean a full year with next to no live music or revenues. Yet in the Government's latest financial support measures, those businesses most impacted by those Government restrictions, that cannot continue to profitably operate, stand to be supported the least.
The industry is calling on the Government to ensure that it can benefit from the Extended Job Support Scheme, recognising that it too is closed due to Government regulation and guidance.
Phil Bowdery, Chair, Concert Promoters Association, said: We were one of the first sectors to close and we will be one of the last to reopen. We are currently caught in a catch-22 where we are unable to operate due to Government restrictions but are excluded from the Extended Job Support Scheme as the furlough comes to an end. If businesses can't access that support soon then the majority of our specialist, highly trained workforce will be gone.
Andy Lenthall, general manager of the Production Services Association, the trade association for people and companies involved in live production, says: Those who have often found themselves overlooked and left behind throughout the last six months are the freelancers and self-employed - the people up and down the country that we rely on to bring us the live experiences we love. Aside from all the figures, were are talking about people whose livelihoods depend on a fully functioning live events ecosystem. It's how these people provide homes for their families.
Economist Chris Carey of Media Insight Consulting who co-authored the report adds: From the artists on stage, to the venues, and the many specialist roles and occupations that make live music happen, this research shows clearly that the entire ecosystem is being decimated.
The Culture Recovery Fund is a help, especially to grassroots music venues. However, larger companies are going to be hit harder and without ongoing Government investment in protecting this industry, the UK will lose its place as a cultural leader in live entertainment. Moreover, the skills we lose in this time will significantly hinder the sector's ability to recover and return to driving economic growth and supplying UK jobs.
The report includes sector-specific data on artists, managers, promoters, booking agents, venues, festivals, ticketing companies and technical suppliers, as well as case studies from some of those affected, and comment from industry leaders.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
170,000 jobs lost in live music industry before end of 2020 as revenue falls by 80% posted: 23/10/2020 
