Be Part of Something
An unusual Substack from me, because I don't want you to read it - I want you to do something about it.
If you’re subscribed to this Substack then it’s either because you really love live music or you like reading the occasional adventures of an idiot. Assuming that for most of you it’s the former reason that caused you to hit the Subscribe button, then I’m recruiting you for a mission, something practical you can do today which will make an actual difference to the live music industry. To our understanding of it, to the way we conduct business, and to making that industry feel more like it belongs to the people who really, at the end of it all, matter the most: The fans.
TL;DR version, for those of you in a hurry who already trust that I wouldn’t be asking you to do this if it wasn’t important:
SEND IT FIVE OF YOUR FRIENDS
ASK THEM TO SEND IT TO FIVE OF THEIR FRIENDS
POST THE LINK TO THE SURVEY ACROSS YOUR SOCIALS AND WRITE YOUR OWN SUBSTACK ABOUT IT
If you want to know much more about it than that, read on….
On 3rd February 2025, the first-ever Music Fans’ Voice survey launched, giving gig-goers a direct say in shaping the future of live music in the UK.
Music is nothing without the fans and this survey will give audiences a chance to have their say in the future of live music. This first of its kind survey is a chance for live music lovers to be heard on subjects ranging from dynamic ticketing to how they decide which shows to go to.
The Music Fans’ Voice survey was commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Mayor of London, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Cardiff City Council, Belfast City Council and Glasgow City of Music. It’s independently managed and assessed by CGA, and the results from it will be published for everyone to see, use and learn from with an academic partner in the shape of Cardiff University. To be absolutely clear on this, this is not my survey. It’s your survey. It’s for you.
This survey builds on the recommendation from the Culture Media and Sport select committee for a Fan Led Review of live and electronic music, as happened in Football. This is a chance for music fans to highlight which areas matter most to them. Findings will give fans a data driven seat at the table. Helping to inform decision making in Government, the music industry and city regions around the UK on how to support all areas of live music, improve the audience experience and protect our live music spaces.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Music has always been central to Greater Manchester, whether through culture, identity or its huge economic contribution. However, music is nothing without its fans. We want to hear from music fans across Greater Manchester, and the country to properly understand their views and thoughts about the music sector in the UK. I’m thrilled to be partnering with other Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local Authorities and the Music Industry to deliver this independent, fan-led survey of the music sector.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Our live music industry is world renowned, with an incredible diversity of artists performing in venues of all sizes every night of the year. The industry plays a key role in driving our economy, but we know that grassroots venues continue to face significant challenges. I committed to working in partnership to support these vital venues and the first ever UK-wide Music Fan survey is a fantastic opportunity for those who love live music to have their voices heard – helping us to continue building a better London for everyone."
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said: “The Liverpool City Region has always been at the heart of live music in the UK, and I’m proud to support this initiative, which will give music fans - like myself - a real voice in shaping the future of our vibrant music scene. I want to really encourage gig-goers to share their views on the issues that matter most to them, from ticketing to access to live music venues. The feedback from this will be invaluable as we work together across city regions to create an environment where live music can continue to thrive for generations to come.”
Katie Duffy, Senior Arts and Music Programmes Manager at Glasgow Life and Glasgow’s UNESCO City of Music lead, said: “As the UK’s first UNESCO City Music, Glasgow offers one of the most immersive live music experiences in the world. From our legendary grassroots venues to our outstanding Ovo Hydro arena, we enjoy a strong reputation for emerging talent and are recognised by the world’s biggest artists as a must-play destination thanks to our passionate fans. Live music is part of our city’s identity, bringing communities together, supporting jobs and driving our visitor and night-time economies. Music and tourism go hand-in-hand, and visitors regularly cite our concerts and festivals as a reason for coming to Glasgow. We also know how vital our audiences are in keeping this ecosystem thriving, which is why we fully support the Music Fans’ Voice survey. This important first-of-its-kind initiative will ensure gig-goers in Glasgow and across the UK have their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them – from ticketing and affordability to accessibility and venue sustainability. We encourage the UK’s music lovers to take part and help shape the future of live music, ensuring it remains vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable in our city and beyond for generations to come.”
So now you’ve read the long version, and this is what you should do about it if you want to make a genuine difference: Take Action Yourself to support this survey
Getting engagement with surveys like this, asking people to give up 15 minutes of their time, is difficult, but there is a way we, the music community, can make it happen and get thousands of people involved. And that method is by taking direct action ourselves as recruiters.
Action 1: Every single one of the 1000 or so people who read these columns can take the survey themselves. You love music, you’re someone who cares about it enough to read columns like this, you should be heard. If you all take the survey, that’s our first 1000 results in the bag.
Action 2: Every single one of you knows someone who loves music just as much as you do. If you all pick your top 5 friends who should have their opinions about live music listened to and counted, that’s the next 5,000 responses done.
Action 3: Get your five friends to read this column, or write your own one, telling them to ask their five friends who also love live music to take the survey. 1,000, 5,000, 25,000… job done, 31,000 responses, which would be the biggest survey of views on live music ever conducted anywhere in the world.
Action 4: Go back to Action 1. Because all of this starts with you realising that your voice matters and acting on this opportunity to be heard.
Stop reading this and do something much more useful instead.