A levy on tickets to London’s biggest stadium and arena concerts should be used to support the capital’s struggling grassroots music venues, a new report has concluded. According to research by the London Assembly, the policy could be “crucial” for ensuring the survival of the city’s smaller venues, which “nurture emerging talent and provide spaces for live music”.
The suggestion has been made by the Assembly’s economy, culture and skills committee, following an investigation into the state of the capital’s nightlife. The committee found that grassroots music venues “are still facing considerable financial pressures” following the pandemic “and are in need of support”.
The Assembly’s report cites an analysis by the Music Venue Trust last year, which showed that 88 out of the 96 artists (92 per cent) in the 2024 Glastonbury line-up started their careers performing at grassroots venues. A proposal for a voluntary levy to be paid by the music industry at large concerts was also put forward last year by MPs on the House of Commons’ culture, media and sport committee. Responding to the idea, the Government said in November 2024: “We want to see a voluntary levy come into effect as soon as possible for concerts in 2025.
“We welcome the example set by artists such as Coldplay and Sam Fender in donating a proportion of their upcoming tour revenues to support the grassroots sector.”. Sir Sadiq Khan’s team confirmed that the mayor is similarly in support of an industry-led, voluntary levy “and is pleased that good progress is being made by the live music industry on making it happen”.
In their report, the Assembly has also told Sir Sadiq to carry out an assessment of the “practicability, benefits or difficulties of expanding the Night Tube”, to allow more Londoners to enjoy the capital’s night venues. The Night Tube currently only covers five of the Underground’s 11 lines, as well as part of the Overground’s Windrush line - and only runs on Friday and Saturday nights.
In addition, the Assembly has suggested that the mayor work with London Councils to make the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme a condition of granting venues licences to sell alcohol. At venues participating in the scheme, members of staff are trained so that, if a customer asks at the bar for someone named Angela, they can provide support to them discreetly. That support might include quietly seeing them to a taxi - for example, if the customer is on a date with someone making them feel uncomfortable - or if it’s a more serious safety issue, alerting venue security or the police.
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: “London’s nightlife industries, as with other cities across the country, have faced a huge range of challenges in recent years. “The rising cost of living and operational costs, shifts in consumer behaviour, staffing shortages and licensing issues have all been hitting businesses hard. That's why the mayor has launched an independent Nightlife Taskforce, bringing together experts to examine and address the issues facing these industries.
