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Live music venue and festival statistics: profits and closures
How profitable are live music venues, what does it cost to run a festival, and how many events are closing? The figures below bring together venue accounts, festival studies and attendance data from the US, UK, Europe and Australasia, alongside Loopyah's research with event organizers.
Key venue and festival profitability statistics
64% of US independent stages were unprofitable in 2024. Source: NIVA.
UK grassroots music venues averaged a 2.5% profit margin in 2025. Source: Music Venue Trust.
Australian festivals reported needing to sell 75% of capacity to break even on average in a 58-response financial dataset for 2024. Source: Creative Australia, Soundcheck 2.
30 UK grassroots music venues closed permanently between 26 July 2024 and 31 July 2025. Source: Music Venue Trust.
Live music attendance and economic impact
Australian concert attendance grew while festival attendance fell
Australian contemporary-music festivals recorded falling attendance and revenue in 2024, while the wider contemporary-music category grew. Live Performance Australia's results show the difference:
All live performance: 31.4 million attendances, up 4.6%; ticket revenue up 6.9%.
Contemporary music, excluding its separately classified festivals: about 14.1 million attendances, up 17.3%; ticket revenue up 21.8%.
Contemporary-music festivals: about 2.0 million attendances, down 0.9%; ticket revenue down 6.7%.
Changes are compared with 2023. The all-performance total includes theater, comedy and other categories. Festival cancellations contributed to the decline, partly offset by a new data provider. The September 2025 report counts attendance occasions, with coverage changing between years.
| Label | Attendance change (%) | Ticket revenue change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Music excluding festivals | 17.3 | 21.8 |
| Music festivals | -0.9 | -6.7 |
Percentage change from 2023. Live Performance Australia's contemporary-music categories; attendance counts visits. Data coverage changed between years.
Source: Live Performance Australia.
US independent live entertainment supported $153.1 billion in economic output
US independent live entertainment supported an estimated $153.1 billion in total economic output in 2024. This modeled figure includes wider economic activity, rather than venue revenue alone.
Source: NIVA.
Live music venue and festival profitability
US independent venues, promoters and festivals
64% of US independent stages were unprofitable in 2024. The category includes venues, promoters, festivals and performing arts centers.
The National Independent Venue Association's June 2025 report combines survey responses, other records and economic modeling across all 50 states and Washington, DC. It does not disclose the survey respondent count.
Source: NIVA.
UK grassroots music venues
UK grassroots music venues averaged a 2.5% profit margin in 2025. Separately, 53.8% made no profit, including those that broke even.
Music Venue Trust's January 2026 report also recorded 801 operating grassroots venues as of 31 July 2025, about 21.7 million audience visits and 174,552 events for 2025. The venue figure is a sector count; visits count attendance occasions.
Source: Music Venue Trust.
Dutch music venues
In the Dutch venue and festival association VNPF's 2025 financial dataset, 52% recorded a negative result, 11% broke even and 37% recorded a positive result. The average financial result was negative 1.6% of total income.
Income grew 2.0% year on year, while expenditure grew 2.3%. The venues recorded around 6.4 million visits, almost 5% fewer than in 2024, and club-night visits fell 14%.
The report, published in 2026, covers 55 participating Dutch member venues operating for a nonprofit purpose.
| Label | Venues (%) |
|---|---|
| Negative result | 52 |
| Breakeven | 11 |
| Positive result | 37 |
VNPF's 2025 financial dataset. Reported shares of participating Dutch music venues operating for a nonprofit purpose.
Source: VNPF 2025 report.
French music festivals
Among 31 French festivals that reached at least 90% occupancy in 2024, 68% recorded a deficit. Across the full financial panel, expenses grew faster than income:
Expenditure grew 6% between 2023 and 2024.
Income grew 4% over the same period.
The Centre national de la musique's July 2025 study covered 107 contemporary-music and variety festivals supported in both years, with 106 included in the attendance analysis. The operating result excludes contributions from organizers' own funds.
| Label | Change (%) |
|---|---|
| Income | 4 |
| Expenditure | 6 |
Panel of 107 CNM-supported French festivals. Percentage change from 2023 to 2024.
Source: CNM festival study.
Venue and festival revenue, costs and ticket sales
Ticket sales, drinks and other revenue
Tickets accounted for 46% of average revenue at US independent stages in 2024, followed by alcohol and beverages at 25%. Artist and booking fees represented 31% of expenses, and staffing represented 26%. The income and expense percentages each use their own total.
Source: NIVA.
In Australia, touring festival locations earned 77% of income from box office in a sample of 19 locations. Small commercial festivals earned 92% from tickets plus food and beverage sales. The Soundcheck 2 study counts touring locations individually, which may include stops by the same festival brand.
Source: Creative Australia, Soundcheck 2.
Festival breakeven and advance ticket sales
Australian festivals reported needing to sell 75% of capacity to break even on average. The 2024 financial dataset contained 58 responses, combining actual results and projections.
Large commercial festivals reported needing 71% of tickets sold in advance to avoid cancellation. This measures the sales required before committing to the event, rather than the sales needed to cover its final costs.
Soundcheck 2, published in September 2024, drew on a May survey with 74 responses covering festivals held, planned or cancelled that year. Response bases varied by question and festival type.
Source: Creative Australia, Soundcheck 2.
Festival insurance
76% of festivals in an Australian insurance study had policies underwritten through Lloyd's of London. Some smaller operators reported cancellation-cover premiums equivalent to 15% to 20% of their event budgets.
Creative Australia's October 2025 study covered 74 festivals, mostly nonprofits: 58 survey respondents and 16 data-only contributors. The premium range describes reports from those smaller operators.
Source: Creative Australia insurance study.
Live music venue closures and festival cancellations
UK grassroots music venue closures
30 UK grassroots music venues closed permanently between 26 July 2024 and 31 July 2025. Music Venue Trust records these as closures during the period, separately from openings and other changes to its venue list.
Source: Music Venue Trust.
UK festivals: cancellations, postponements and endings
The Association of Independent Festivals recorded the following annual totals of UK festival cancellations, postponements and endings:
2024: 78.
2025: 43.
2026: 40 through 6 October.
The tracker includes final editions and events cut short. Festivals may appear in more than one year, and the 2026 total covers only part of the year.
Source: AIF cancellation tracker.
Live music venue numbers in Australia and New Zealand
Australia's number of licensed live music venues increased 13% year on year in 2024/25, returning to its 2018 level. New Zealand's count remained 18.9% below its corresponding 2018 level.
Music licensing organization APRA AMCOS tracks licensed venues. The figures describe the number licensed in each period, rather than the survival of the same businesses over time.
Source: APRA AMCOS.
Event organizer challenges
Loopyah surveyed 350 event organizers through Pollfish on 11 February 2026: 227 ran paid ticketed events and 123 ran free ticketed events. The survey covered event categories beyond music, and the results below are unweighted.
Source: Loopyah organizer survey.
The biggest challenges in growing attendance
Reaching new audiences was the most frequently selected challenge, at 28%. Organizers chose a single answer to: "What is your single biggest challenge in getting more people to attend your events?"
Reaching new audiences beyond existing followers: 28%, or 98 respondents.
Converting interest into ticket purchases: 22.29%, or 78.
Competing with other events for attention: 18.86%, or 66.
Budget for marketing or ads: 15.14%, or 53.
Creating compelling promotional content: 6.86%, or 24.
Understanding what attendees actually want: 5.71%, or 20.
Securing a strong lineup or program: 3.14%, or 11.
Other: 0%.
The ticket-purchase response reflects the original survey wording. These aggregate results include both paid-event and free-event organizers.
| Label | Respondents (%) |
|---|---|
| Reaching new audiences | 28 |
| Converting interest to sales | 22.29 |
| Competing for attention | 18.86 |
| Marketing budget | 15.14 |
| Creating promo content | 6.86 |
| Knowing what attendees want | 5.71 |
| Securing lineup/program | 3.14 |
| Other | 0 |
350 organizers of paid and free ticketed events, February 2026. One answer per respondent; unweighted results. Labels shortened.
Source: Loopyah organizer survey.
Ticketing fees and payout delays
36.29% selected high service or platform fees among their biggest ticketing-platform frustrations, or 127 of 350 respondents. 19.14% selected slow or infrequent payouts, or 67 respondents. This question allowed multiple answers.
Source: Loopyah organizer survey.
Related reading: event budgeting and sponsorship revenue targets.
Author: By the Loopyah Content Team
The Loopyah Content Team shares expert insights, practical guides, and industry updates to help event organizers create unforgettable experiences and stay ahead in the event planning world.
