LIVE Trust welcomes first £500k in ticket contribution pledges

29 April 2025 - Press release

“An excellent start, with more to come” – Jon Collins, CEO LIVE

LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment), which represents 15 live music industry organisations, has announced that the LIVE Trust, a transformative new funding initiative that will offer much needed financial support to those working across grassroots live music, has already had over £500k pledged in ticket contributions from UK tours of domestic and international artists – from Pulp to Diana Ross, Mumford and Sons to Hans Zimmer.

The LIVE Trust receives funding from a voluntary contribution of £1 per ticket from arena and stadium shows with a capacity of over 5000. The Trust, overseen by a panel of industry experts, then sets a funding strategy to support those delivering vibrant, grassroots music experiences to communities across the UK – be they artists, venues, festivals or promoters.
Passing the half million figure coincides with new fan research which shows the concept behind the Trust is hugely popular. ‘Music Fans Voice’ a major new report released last week, surveyed over 8000 live music concert goers, and found that 93% of respondents supported the idea that £1 from every ticket of any Arena or Stadium Live Music event should go to a fund that directly supports the Grassroots.

Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE said, “This is a welcome milestone for The LIVE Trust and marks a very significant contribution to the grassroots live music sector. What this demonstrates is that there is a real appetite from performers and their teams to support the wider live ecosystem and we applaud and thank those that have already taken this initiative. Whilst this is an excellent start there is still much work to do if we are to convince government that a voluntary rather than statutory levy is both workable and sustainable.”