A ticket to Bristol’s future? Proposals made to support the city’s music scene

Bristol Nights, a partnership project from Bristol City Council, has proposed a new fund to support the English city’s music scene.

The proposal follows almost two years of collaboration across Bristol’s music industry to understand the challenges faced by venues, promoters, artists and audiences. 

In response, a report titled ‘A Ticket to the Future’ has been published with help from strategy development specialists PRD, which sets out the feasibility of establishing the first Bristol Music Fund.

This would see a 1% ticket fee established on music events, paid for by the customer and charged at the point of sale. This would help to generate resources required to invest back into the local sector. 

The feasibility study found that 93% of people that attend live events in Bristol would be happy, or feel okay about, paying an extra 1% to support the Bristol Music Fund.

“Music is a fundamental part of the social and cultural fabric that shapes Bristol’s identity at home and abroad. The music industry is big business for us and a vital positive contributor to the city’s prosperity with many millions of pounds generated annually for the local economy,” commented Carly Heath, Night Time Economy Advisor at Bristol City Council.

“Yet the distribution of this wealth is uneven. Seventy-eight per cent of events are in venues of under 1,000 capacity, however they only generate 32% of the ticket revenue. Small events are the fertile ground from which so much local talent develops. It’s crucial we find a way to support the whole ecosystem, so our music scene can continue to flourish and create joyful moments for music fans in the city.”

Heath added: “Establishing the Bristol Music Fund is an opportunity to invest in the talent found right across our music sector, and redress the balance for those venues, events and music creators who innovate and incubate new sounds.”

Phil Gibby, area director for the South West, Arts Council England, said: “Grassroots venues are vital to England’s cultural ecology and there’s no doubt Bristol, a city steeped in musical history, has all the potential to rival the world’s top live music destinations.

“We are proud to have supported Bristol Nights to explore an equitable and inclusive infrastructure for the grassroots scene, that could safeguard the futures of the talented artists and promoters who make Bristol so vibrant.”

On a national scale, the Music Venue Trust has long campaigned for a similar scheme which would see a £1 donation from each ticket sale put back into grassroots venues.