Live music is closely linked with longer visits, higher spending, and stronger customer satisfaction in bars and similar venues. Research from NIQ, the Live Music Index, BMI/NRG, and the Music Venue Trust also shows a fragile grassroots economy: demand is substantial, but venue margins and musician incomes remain under pressure.
Table of contents
- Customer demand for live music
- Dwell time, drinks, and venue performance
- How often venues host live music
- The working lives of musicians
- Barriers facing artists and venues
- The grassroots venue economy
Customer demand for live music
The NIQ Live Music in Hospitality research reports that 78% of consumers are more likely to visit a pub, bar, or similar venue when it offers live music. The same research says 73% are likely to stay longer when live music is available, while 76% are likely to buy more drinks.
The findings suggest that live music can influence several stages of a customer visit: whether someone chooses a venue, how long they remain there, and how much they purchase. NIQ also reports that live music can help pubs and bars generate extra sales in 2023. That is a measurement reference for the research, rather than a forecast for every venue or market.
The BMI/NRG study gives a similar picture among bar and restaurant customers. Nearly 80% say they will stay longer when good music is playing, and nearly 60% will buy more food and drinks to continue listening to music they enjoy. The wording of this study refers to good music generally, so it should be read alongside, rather than treated as identical to, the live-music findings.
Generational results from the BMI/NRG study show different reported levels of willingness to stay longer:
| Group | Likely to stay longer with good music | Likely to buy more food or drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Millennials | 70% | 70% |
| Gen X | 63% | 63% |
| Gen Z | 56% | 56% |
The study also reports that 84% of Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to stay at a bar or restaurant with good music. These figures describe reported customer intentions, not guaranteed changes in sales at a particular bar.
Dwell time, drinks, and venue performance
The Live Music Index reports several changes associated with live events at venues. Live events can increase spend per visit by 64%, dwell time by 61%, and footfall by 36%. Venue sales can rise by 33% when live music is hosted, while the number of drinks ordered can rise by 62%. Visit frequency can rise by 48% when live music is offered.
These are separate reported measures and should not be added together. A 64% increase in spend per visit, for example, is not the same measure as a 33% increase in venue sales. The results instead describe different ways live events may affect customer and venue behavior.
Venue operators also report broad business benefits in the Live Music Index. Some 87% say live music improves atmosphere and guest satisfaction, and 79% say it increases revenue and footfall. A further 44% say it supports local artists, 44% say it brings local communities together, and 29% say it generates repeat visits.
The connection to business continuity is also prominent. The Index reports that 96% of operators say their business would suffer if live music were removed. Among the specific impacts, 39% expect lower customer satisfaction, 35% expect lower revenue, and 31% expect a negative effect on atmosphere. Another 16% say they would need to make staff redundant if live music were removed.
How often venues host live music
The Live Music Index surveyed 511 venues that host live music and 291 venues that do not. Within the survey of venues, 73% host live music at least once a week, and 31% offer live music between three and five times weekly. These frequencies indicate that recurring programming is common among participating live-music venues.
The Index also reports that 87% of venues plan to increase their live music offering over the next 12 months. This is an expectation reported by surveyed operators, not a measured increase already completed.
The potential venue base is wider than current programming. Around 41,077 pubs, bars, clubs, and other licensed venues in Britain have the potential to host live music events, according to the Live Music Index. When sports and social clubs and other large venues are included, that potential rises to 65,233 venues. Potential capacity does not mean that each venue currently hosts events or has the same equipment, licensing, staffing, or audience.
Booking administration is a recurring operational issue. The Index says 56% of venues find that the time spent sourcing and booking artists negatively affects profitability. Meanwhile, 48% would welcome a simplified booking process and reduced administration. Among venues that do not currently host live music, 38% say they would be more likely to do so if bookings were easier to manage.
Other reported venue needs include transparent pricing and standardized contracts, requested by 47% of venues. Some 40% want help discovering new artists and music genres, while 35% want help with promotion, marketing, and data analytics. The Live Music Index repeats the 48%, 47%, 40%, and 35% results in its venue findings; they represent the same reported measures rather than additional samples.
The working lives of musicians
The Live Music Index estimates that around 43,600 musicians are active in the UK. Its artist survey covered 1,084 artists. Of those artists, 56% regularly perform in the seed music scene, and average earnings in that scene are reported as £24,948 per year, or £2,079 per month. The report also cites Musicians’ Union average earnings of £20,700. These figures come from different measures and should not be treated as a single average.
The distribution of gigging patterns shows that live performance is often not a full-time activity. Only 6% of the Live Music Index sample gig full-time, 20% perform part-time, and 75% gig casually or as a hobby. On frequency, 27% say they gig weekly, 35% perform monthly, and 38% perform less frequently than monthly.
Expectations point toward more activity. Some 46% say they are gigging more frequently than a year ago, and 90% expect to perform more often over the next 12 months. Pay trends are mixed: 23% say they are being paid more per gig, while 15% say they are being paid less.
Despite the irregularity of the work, 80% of artists think gigging in the seed sector is a worthwhile career, and 81% agree that gigging is their passion. At the same time, 59% use gigs to top up income from another job, while 20% say they gig purely for fun.
The Index estimates that if all musicians gigged in the seed music scene, they could earn an additional £400 million per year. Total combined annual earnings could reach £1.3 billion if all musicians gigged in that scene. Both are scenario estimates, not current earnings totals.
Barriers facing artists and venues
Artists report challenges that affect reliability, costs, and career prospects. The most widely reported issue is limited pay and unreliable job opportunities, cited by 95% of musicians. Sound quality and other technical issues affect 88%, while 79% cite disorganized or poorly managed gigs and logistics.
Travel and working conditions also matter. Some 59% say unsociable hours and travel logistics are a challenge, and 49% face poor or inadequate facilities for getting ready for gigs. A lack of security affects 22%, while 17% encounter rude or aggressive staff members. Payment collection is another concern: 42% of artists say they face issues collecting their money after gigs.
The supply of opportunities is a barrier to making music a full-time career. The Live Music Index reports that 44% say a shortage of gigs is an obstacle, 36% cannot find enough venues to gig at, and 39% need more money to support themselves.
Artists identify platform features that could improve access to work. Some 64% want access to venue listings on platforms, and 59% want direct booking requests. These preferences align with the venue-side findings on booking administration, although a platform would not by itself resolve limited pay, technical problems, or travel costs.
The grassroots venue economy
The Music Venue Trust Annual Report 2025 reports severe financial pressure among UK grassroots music venues. It says 53% showed no profit in 2025, while average profit margins were 2.5%. The report also records more than 6,000 jobs lost in the UK grassroots music sector in 2025, representing a 19% contraction in the overall workforce.
The same report says grassroots music venues contributed over £500 million annually to the UK economy. Yet 30 UK grassroots music venues permanently closed over the past year, and 175 UK towns and cities no longer receive regular touring shows. Those 175 places are home to an estimated 25 million people.
Northern Ireland provides a separate regional measure in the Music Venue Trust Annual Report 2025. More than 460,000 people attended over 3,700 grassroots shows there last year, and those shows contributed nearly £12 million to the local economy. The period described is the report’s stated “last year,” so it should not be generalized to every UK region or treated as a current-year forecast.
Taken together, the figures describe a sector with strong audience and operator demand for live music, measurable reported effects on dwell time and purchasing, and a large potential venue base. They also show why the economics remain difficult: venue margins are narrow, many artists rely on other work, and access to dependable gigs is still limited.