NEW RESEARCH REVEALS BOOM IN DISABLED AUDIENCES AT GIGS & MUSIC FESTIVALS

15 May 2015 - Press release

 

• Music charity Attitude is Everything reveals a 70% increase in disabled audiences attending the 100+ venues and festivals signed to its Charter of Best Practice 

• Signatories of the Charter include large-scale events and venues (such as Glastonbury, The O2, Latitude, Reading/Leeds, Download, The Roundhouse and 14 Academy Music Group venues) through to small-capacity clubs and student unions

• Attitude is Everything celebrates its 15th anniversary in May 2015 with appeal for even greater industry support and goal to double the number of Charter sign-ups

• Festival Republic confirm an increase of their annual donation to Attitude is Everything for the next three years 

Attitude is Everything has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of Deaf and disabled fans attending live music events in the UK - highlighting many of the positive changes that promoters and venue owners are taking to attract disabled audiences. 

Collating ticketing sales from festivals and venues signed to its Charter of Best Practice, the charity found that almost 114,000 disabled tickets were sold in 2014, compared to 67,000 in 2013 - an increase of 70%. 

The direct economic impact of these sales is an estimated £5.4m.

The Charter of Best Practice enables music businesses to make an ongoing commitment to improving accessibility, and encourages signatories to go beyond the legal obligations of the Equality Act. More than 100 festivals and venues have now signed the Charter, from large-scale events and arenas, including Glastonbury, Latitude, Download, Reading/Leeds and The O2 through to the 14 mid-sized venues owned by Academy Music Group and a diverse range of smaller clubs and student union halls.

According to Attitude is Everything founder, Suzanne Bull MBE, the figures offer compelling evidence of how the music industry is waking up to the demand for improved access, and how forward-thinking businesses can reap the benefits. 

“It is heartening to see such a strong correlation between the venues and festivals who embrace our Charter of Best Practice and the numbers of disabled customers coming through their doors. It also sends out a strong message to the wider music and entertainment industry: there are potentially millions of disabled customers wanting to attend your events and, if you improve access, then they will come. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be difficult. As impressive as these numbers are, they only represent the tip of the iceberg.” 

Case studies of access facilities at the Roundhouse, The O2, Latitude Festival and Academy Music Group venues are provided below. 

This year also marks Attitude is Everything's 15th anniversary. As well as its Charter successes, the charity has reached a number of other significant milestones and achievements, including: 

• Bespoke training for 4,500 industry professionals
• Building a network of 400+ ‘mystery shoppers’ to audit Charter venues and festivals
• Creating almost 500 volunteer opportunities for Deaf and disabled people to work at festivals
• Launching the awareness-raising #MusicWithoutBarriers campaign, supported by artists including Stevie Wonder, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, Alt-J, Chvrches, Belle & Sebastian, Queens of the Stone Age, Anna Calvi, Enter Shikari, Frank Turner, The Temper Trap, Mystery Jets and Slowdive
• Establishing Club Attitude as an annual gig to showcase access best practice - with sold out shows headlined by the likes of Toy, Summer Camp, Foals and Ghostpoet
• Leading a working party on inaccessible ticketing with the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers
• Supporting new technologies to improve access - including live streaming, online ticketing, online gig listings and live captioning    

With further industry support, the charity aims to double the number of Charter sign-ups and to increase still further the numbers of disabled fans at live music events.  

Significantly, Attitude is Everything can confirm that Festival Republic are increasing their annual donation for the next three years.  

Suzanne Bull MBE said: 

“It took 14 years for Attitude is Everything to sign up 100 Charter venues and festivals, and our goal is to double that number by 2020. We’ll need help, support and resources to get there, but building on the fantastic partnerships we’ve built with promoters, venue owners, artists and fans, then I’m certain we can reach our ultimate goal of ‘music without barriers’.” 

Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic, added: 

“Festival Republic has worked with Attitude is Everything for a number of years now, and we are proud that Reading, Leeds and Latitude are all signed up to the Charter of Best Practice. There are millions of Deaf and disabled music fans in this country, and by partnering with Suzanne and her team we have made great steps in ensuring that they can enjoy equal access to our events. With greater support, who knows what can be achieved over the next 15 years.”