Musicians are playing fewer tour venues

Musicians are playing half as many gigs on tour as they did in the 1990s, according to new research.

Data from Music Venue Trust found artists are playing 11 shows on an average UK tour on the grassroots circuit this year, compared to an average of 22 shows in 1994.

The charity says there has been a “dramatic decrease in the total amount of live music in our communities” and an “increasingly small number of places [are] included on the touring circuit”.

It added that its members normally sell about 20 million tickets annually in total, but the figure is expected to drop to around 15 million this year.

The drop in tour dates is largely attributed to rising costs associated with performing on tour, including venue fees, travel and accommodation, making it less financially viable for artists to perform shows.

Jon Collins, chief executive of live music trade body Live, said the figures also “reflect what we’re hearing about the mid-capacity and arena level”.

“When it comes to programming tours, you’re thinking, does it make sense to play Manchester? Does it make sense to play Birmingham? If I do those two, does it make sense to play Leeds and Liverpool, or are they just too close and actually we’re just going to have to get fans to commute across?,” Collins said.

“So the risk is that we end up with a truncated touring route, which becomes a spine of the country – London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow – and then large swathes of the country are missing out on seeing those artists.”