Gigs in the ‘seed’ music industry – those staged in hospitality venues right across the UK – soared 52% in London over the festive season; providing a much needed boost for artists and the pubs, bars and restaurants they perform in.
Data from live music marketplace GigPig, which provides artists with a free platform to find and get booked for gigs, shows that weekly bookings in pubs and bars rose by 37% during the two-week period over Christmas and New Year (w/c 18th and w/c 25 December 2023).
London was the standout city, with a 52% increase on average gig numbers when compared the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, Newcastle saw a 47% increase, Birmingham a 22% rise and Manchester a 14% uplift.
It comes as the Live Music Index, a survey of more than 500 venues and 1,000 artists conducted in conjunction with CGA Nielson, has highlighted that there is appetite for growth in the ‘seed’ music industry this year. A total of 87% of venues plan to increase their music offering in 2024, while nine in ten artists expect to gig more often in hospitality premises in the year ahead.
Meanwhile, analysis showed just how lucrative the live music offer is for hospitality venues, with an estimated 33% sales uplift and 36% footfall rise when artists and DJs gig. Around half of venues said they host live music to support local gigging artists, who are making a good living – around £24,948 on average – through their gigging careers.
Artists however have called for more support on logistics to ensure they have a successful year ahead. Top of the list is changes to sound quality and associated technology in venues, followed by a request for venues to better organise their live music offer.
Kit Muir-Rogers, Co-founder of GigPig, said: “The festive season is notoriously the busiest time for venues and artists but the last few years have been hampered by world events. That’s why it’s great to see a resurgence this time around. Coupled with the news that venues and artists want to do more in the seed music industry in 2024, it’s an optimistic footing to start the year.
“Undoubtedly there is still a nervousness about cost pressures for many and some will feel a post-christmas slump. My plea is for customers to support the hospitality and music industry throughout the year by visiting venues where artists are on stage in their local venues as much as possible. By making every venue a stage we will keep our cities and towns alive.”
GigPig is the UK’s fastest growing live music marketplace, leveraging the power of technology to make it easier for venues and artists to play more gigs every day of the week.
Its purpose-built platform gives venue managers and bookers unparalleled access to thousands of verified local artists (including the ability to see and preview their music), with all the tools they need to seamlessly book and manage live music; while offering artists a free platform to find, play and get paid for gigs, with complete control over when, where and how much they are paid to play.
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