Lifestyle · Entertainment

Man Reviving London’s Gig Scene Pitches £1 Ticket Levy in Sydney

Jon Collins, chief executive of a UK live music body, is in Sydney explaining how a £1 ticket levy on big concerts has raised £2.5 million this year for grassroots venues, as a New South Wales inquiry puts the idea at the top of its recommendations.

By matthew jonathan

November 15, 20263 min read

Man Reviving London’s Gig Scene Pitches £1 Ticket Levy in Sydney

Jon Collins, chief executive of the UK’s Live Music Industry Venues and Entertainment, is in Sydney to speak at a government nightlife conference about how he turned London’s gig scene around. The man reviving London’s gig culture says the answer is a £1 levy on big-concert tickets.

His timing is pointed. The report from the New South Wales State of Live Music inquiry was tabled in the state parliament this week.

Why London’s scene was struggling

Collins believes the pandemic crippled London’s live music scene. He concedes it was never as moribund as Sydney’s to begin with.

When he and a coalition of 13 live music organisations studied the UK crisis, they found an ecosystem out of balance. Stadium tours were doing well. Artists, promoters and venues at the middle and grassroots levels were not.

The toll in 2025 alone was 43 festivals cancelled and 30 venues permanently closed.

Fans had less money to spare, and venues leaned on the predictability of cover shows. “The ability of people to experiment with that £10 ticket, go to the small local venue – they don’t have as much leeway to take those risks on that band that they don’t know,” Collins said.

How the levy works

After a parliamentary inquiry, the UK devised a £1 levy on tickets for concerts with capacity for more than 5000 patrons. The money goes into a trust that funds the grassroots scene. It began in 2025 and has raised millions of pounds.

Artists can choose to add the levy to their tickets. American acts including Diana Ross, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bowling for Soup were the first to take part, Collins said.

Olivia Dean, Florence and The Machine, Harry Styles, Lily Allen and Take That have since added what Collins calls “the pound”. Sam Fender has committed for next year. “We’ve got over 130 tours now carrying the pound,” Collins said.

This year the fund has raised £2.5 million. Another £6 million is “guaranteed” with partnered artists, and Collins expects it to distribute £7 to £8 million in 2027.

Where the money goes

A board of industry experts hands out the money in funding rounds. The first round, Collins said, went to seven programs covering artists, venues, promoters and festivals.

One program eased touring costs. Another helped venues convert high utility bills into green energy. Small and micro festivals also got a boost.

The trust also helps communities in Northern Ireland and Scotland learn how to stage, market, promote and run an event. It puts young artists on stages for younger audiences as well.

What New South Wales is weighing

Of the 37 recommendations from the NSW inquiry, a ticket levy is the frontrunner. The committee took three hearings and 105 submissions. It found rising operating costs, insurance premiums, user-pays policing charges, changing audience behaviours and limited artist development pathways were stifling the sector.

Committee chair Sarah Kaine said a ticket levy would create sustainable funding to support the next generation of artists and venues.

The Australian Music Venue Foundation, a lobby group for grassroots venues, initially proposed a $1 levy on every ticket for shows with a capacity above 5000 patrons. It estimates that five major Sydney venues alone could generate $3 million to $3.15 million each year.

Collins framed the stakes as a choice every fan makes: a guaranteed “seven out of 10” night with a cover band, or a band nobody has heard of that “could be a real two out of 10 stinker”. Or it could be “a nine out of 10, and they’re going to be playing arenas in three years.”