A Ticket to the Future

Bold proposals for a new fund aimed at supporting Bristol’s iconic music scene have been launched. 

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The proposals follow nearly two years of collaboration across Bristol’s music industry to research and understand the challenges faced by venues, promoters, artists and audiences, and establish the possible solutions that could help the sector thrive. 

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Working with strategy development specialists PRD, the “A Ticket to the Future” report has been published that sets out the feasibility of establishing the first Bristol Music Fund and how such an approach can benefit the sector.

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One of the key proposals aimed at supporting the fund is the establishment of a 1 per cent ticket fee on music events, paid for by the customer and charged at the point of sale, to generate the resources required to invest back into the local sector, supporting talent both on and off the stage. 

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View the Proposal Overview below.

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Carly Heath, Night Time Economy Advisor at Bristol City Council, said: “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. Yet the distribution of this wealth is uneven. 78 per cent of events are in venues of under 1000 capacity, however they only generate 32 per cent 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. 

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“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.”

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Phil Gibby, Area Director, 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.”

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Based on a local audience survey in June 2024: 

• Over 78 per cent of respondents attend a music event once a month or more, and 37 per cent spend between £21 and £50 per month on event tickets. 
• The large majority of respondents were happy to pay a small percentage of their ticket price towards the Bristol Music Fund (93 per cent if charged 1 per cent on top of their ticket price), and 96 per cent of people surveyed said an extra 1 per cent would have "no effect" or make them "more likely to buy a ticket" if they knew it was being reinvested in local music.
• The majority of the respondents felt that the Music Fund should support venues, local artists and the financial sustainability of the sector. 
• Based on a collection of 1 per cent on  all ticket sales, annual revenues for the Fund could be from £400k to £1m if the ticket fee is implemented fully across all events, venues and ticketing outlets.

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The proposals suggest creating a new Community Benefit Society, which would be owned by its members, who would get a say in how best to support Bristol Music into the future. 

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The next steps for the emerging fund are to establish the governance systems needed before beginning revenue raising activity and initial scoping of investments.

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Download full Feasibility Study by filling out the form below.

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