Live DMA | Survey Facts & Figures of The Live Music Sector

What Is The Survey?

Live DMA collects data of the venues and clubs part of the network every year, in order to monitor the situation of the live music sector in Europe. Live DMA has synchronised questions and definitions for all Live DMA members, and besides that, we provide our members with tools and guidance to improve their own observation work. Live DMA’s observation work is named ‘The Survey’, as part of the Live DMA project Live Style Europe, since 2017. It is a great tool to better understand the functioning of European live music scenes. The Survey presents details on the administrative formats, accomodations, functions, activities, audiences, human resources and financial situation of the European venues and clubs, as a crucial part of the live music ecosystem. The data collected provide a clear snapshot of the social, economic and cultural value of the sector.

Live DMA presents the key numbers in various publications since 2013, including recent reports on COVID-19 pandemic effects for music venues and clubs in 2020 and 2021, compared to the 2019 numbers. The data results are important for the representation of the live music venues and clubs on a local, regional, national, and European level. It helps policy makers to understand the role, capacities, and values of these live music entities. Live DMA encourages the use of The Survey to help the sector fulfill its objectives, such as being recognized as a crucial part of the cultural landscape.

In 2019, for 2.280 venues and clubs part of the Live DMA network:

• 281.000 live music events organised.
• 463 000 artist performances.
• 70 million audience visits, of which 80% paid an admission fee.
• 125 000 workers, of which 64.500 paid workers + over 48.000 volunteers.
• Generating 1.7 billion euro income.

In 2019, for 2.280 venues and clubs part of the Live DMA network:

• 39% are a non-profit organisation.
• 85% of the organisations have other functions, such as social and educational functions, bar/restaurant functions, and multi-disciplinary functions such as cinema, theatre.
• 47% organises festivals.
• Most music venues are small with an audience capacity under 400.

Between 2019 and 2020, for the venues and clubs part of the Live DMA network:

• 75% less audience visits.
• 62% of the music venues and clubs organised online music events.
• For private commercial structures (56% of the live dma venues and clubs), only 6% of the lost income was covered by covid support fund from governments.

Find the survey here