Bucks Fizz For Bristol Census

UK Music and Bucks New University this week published a Bristol live music census, revealing that last year live music generated £123m of revenue towards the local economy- but that 50% of the city’s music venues were affected by development, noise or planning issues.

The research is the first collaborative project to be published through the Music Academic Partnership (MAP). UK Music established the project last year to enable academic partner institutions to access music industry data and contacts to facilitate further research and analysis.

The economic impact of the sector equated to £45m in GVA and helped support 927 full time equivalent jobs in the city.

Chief Executive of UK Music Jo Dipple said: “Government statistics revealed that the creative industries contributed £84bn to the UK economy in 2014. It takes considerable research to fully understand the contribution British music makes to this figure. Our project with Bucks New University delves for the first time into a local music ecosystem, Bristol”, adding that the research “Shows that “50% of Bristol venues are threatened by development and planning issues”.

Dipple continued: “Given the contribution to the wider economy, it has never been more important to address such issues critical to grassroots music. The success of Bristol’s music scene is a barometer for the wider creative economy”.

In addition, the research identified 94 dedicated music venues or venues where music is played across the city, with 41% of the audience interviewed saying that they attend three or more live shows a month.

Almost a third (32%) of the audience spent between £20 and £50 on tickets per month and 24% came from outside of the Bristol area.

So, as a snapshot, the sector is vibrant but the grassroots are under threat, fitting the apocalyptic narrative currently surrounding the future of small venues across the UK.