LIVE attended Parliament on Thursday for the APPG on ticket abuse, joining others across the industry to urge the Government to bring forward urgent legislation to tackle touts, as they committed to do last year. The Culture Minister Ian Murray attended the session and reaffirmed Government's commitment to bringing forward the necessary legislation through parliament as speedily as possible. 
 

Representative organisations for the live music sector, including LIVE, have written to the Business Secretary Peter Kyle and the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy this month, urging Government to ensure the swift passage and effective implementation of new laws announced in November to stop touts. While we await a formal response from the Government, please take any opportunity to ensure your MP understands the importance of this legislation moving forward without delay.

The LIVE Awards are back for 2026
An important date for your diaries - The LIVE Awards, in association with Skiddle, return to London’s Troxy on December 9.

As many of you will know, we host this annual event to celebrate and reflect on the extraordinary achievements of our sector. Its December date also makes it a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and raise a glass with colleagues as part of the festive season.

Tickets go live Wednesday, 27th May, so set your alarms. For nominations, sponsorship opportunities and wider event details, you can stay up to date on the LIVE Awards website.

Courteeners make Trust pledge
LIVE Trust pledges continue to grow with Manchester indie band Courteeners committing to £1 from every tour ticket sold. The band cut their teeth in the grassroots venues that Live Trust supports and are keen to lend their support. Courteeners paid homage to their grassroots beginnings last Saturday with a show at independent venue Night & Day in Manchester.

Speaking on the donation, Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE Trust said: “It’s fantastic to see Courteeners supporting the LIVE Trust with a £1 per ticket contribution on their upcoming tour, building on their commitment for the Wythenshawe Park show in August. This levy will directly benefit the full grassroots ecosystem - from venues and artists to promoters and festivals - helping to protect, expand and support the grassroots music ecosystem across the UK.”

LIVE lobbies Government to remove VAT from £1 LIVE Trust donations
LIVE has written to the Treasury, calling on Government to return the VAT taken on the £1 ticket contribution that funds the Trust’s work. LIVE Trust has received strong backing from the sector since its launch, with over 5 million in pledges secured as of April 2026.  Money raised from the first shows is already being distributed to support those who are keeping venues open, festivals trading, artists touring and all those involved in the promoting and staging of live music performances. We urge Government to ensure that 100% of every £1 pledged reaches the grassroots sector it was intended to support. When Parliament and Government asked LIVE to step forward, it could not have been their intention that Government itself would benefit financially.

LIVE Festivals: Officials attend to discuss the Licencing Sprint
This week’s meeting of LIVE Festivals and Outdoor Events heard from officials across Government on festival licensing and SAG guidance. A very productive discussion was had on both topics with LIVE helping to inform the Government’s thinking on festival licensing, including the potential for simpler and consistent access to multiyear licences.

Festivals are a unique and distinctive part of our industry, facing their own particular obstacles post-pandemic. We will continue to work with festival operators and Government to sustain and grow independent festivals, including expanding capacity and programming or introducing new events.

LIVE Trust announces new partnership to house touring artists 
LIVE Trust is partnering with Music Venue Trust to deliver 'Stay the Night and Feel At Home' at grassroots music venues across the UK.

Funded by LIVE Trust pledges, this programme will create self-contained artist accommodation alongside upgraded backstage facilities, transforming currently unsuitable space into practical spots for touring artists.

The first project is already under way at Voodoo Daddy’s in London Street, Norwich.

This is just the beginning, with more projects now approved and planned to strengthen the grassroots music sector. 

LIVE Workforce: Accessibility, diversity and inclusion a key focus
The LIVE Workforce meeting this week heard, once again, from a number of expert speakers detailing their efforts to improve accessibility, diversity and inclusion across live music. Andrew Lansley took the group through his work with UnMute, a disability led initiative, designed to provide disabled musicians with access to meaningful, sustainable performance opportunities. This includes supporting live event bookers to work with disabled artists with confidence. Crucially, their mission is to position disabled musicians not as beneficiaries of inclusion, but as active agents in reshaping industry practice. Their roster currently includes 12 artists, spanning a wide range of genres. In the future, UnMute is looking to expand their roster, and establish an accessible touring route for disabled artists. 

The meeting also covered the Black Means Business report, led by Eunice Obianagha, who spoke about its importance for the wider sector. This report quantifies the impact of black music across the past 30 years of UK's recorded music scene - representing over 80% of the total market. Through this research, the team has distilled 8 recommendations - strategic, targeted actions, grounded in work that is already happening. These recommendations span education, investment and archival work to preserve black music, as well as engaging the international and diasporic network. Please do have a read through the report, especially the actions on pages 55-58, and see how you can get involved! 

You can access the report here.

LIVE Venues/Festivals: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) guidance launched
With the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, aka Martyn's Law, now just one year away, the Home Office have published the statutory guidance to the Act to help venues and festivals prepare. Alongside the statutory guidance, three additional documents have been released offering guidance on methods for assessing the reasonable expectation of individuals present at the premises and events, illustrative examples of the scope of the legislation and further resources and learning. You can find those documents here.

In addition, the Security Industry Authority has launched a public consultation on its own guidance, setting out it intends to carry out its role as regulator. The SIA’s draft s.12 guidance explains how the regulator plans to operate and use its powers, taking a supportive, proportionate and risk-based approach.  

The consultation will close on 12 June. To take part, please visit the SIA’s consultation webpage.

LIVE Touring: A1 Forms
For some time now, LIVE has been working with Government to reduce processing times for A1 forms. Excessive times can lead to individuals losing out when working abroad as local tax is withheld. We are pleased to note that HMRC is now of the view the backlog on A1 forms has been cleared. Their view now is that any that are not progressing is because they are waiting for more information. HMRC are confident that the swiftest way to resolve any outstanding issues is to call the helpline - 0300 200 3500. As ever, if you are having challenges, please do contact the LIVE team.