Glasgow council backs big music venue ticket levy

A levy on ticket sales at the Hydro could raise significant sums for smaller venues

Glasgow councillors have backed the introduction of a new £1 levy on tickets for "mega-gigs" in the city - with the proceeds used to support small music venues.

The levy would apply to the 14,300 capacity OVO Hydro which regularly hosts major artists, potentially raising hundreds of thousands of pounds each year.

A motion was passed with cross-party support at a meeting of the full council, and the authority will now look in more detail at how to implement it.

The Scottish Greens, who led the motion, said upcoming performances and events by Kylie Minogue, Sam Fender, Olly Murs, comedian Peter Kay, Strictly Come Dancing and WWE could alone raise £160,000.

Campaigners including the Music Venue Trust have called for smaller venues across the UK to receive a contribution from the proceeds of arena and stadium gigs.

Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender have all adopted a levy of their own on tours to help support the grassroots sector after dozens went to the wall last year.

Green councillor Christy Mearns, who introduced the motion, said she was delighted the plan had received cross-party backing.

She said: "This could help to raise much-needed revenue for Glasgow's grassroots venues which are under threat, yet which are absolutely vital to our city's musical success.

"Grassroots venues support new artists to hone their craft, develop followings and nurture local subcultures.

"Without them it's very possible we wouldn't have many of the big names who started out in exactly these spaces."

A spokesperson for the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the OVO Hydro and the SEC Armadillo venues, said it would welcome ways of supporting the grassroots.

They said: "The live entertainment industry is of vital importance to the UK economy, and we welcome initiatives that seek to support it.

"All industry stakeholders are liaising extensively on a proposed levy to provide much-needed support to the grassroots eco system and the most effective way to do this."

According to the Music Venue Trust, 125 venues across the UK abandoned live music in 2023, and half of them shut completely.

The trust believe the total number of such venues declined by 13% and about a third are operating at a loss, with increasing rental costs one of the major problems.

In May, the the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport committee at Westminster backed the idea of a levy, and the UK government has now come out in favour of an industry-led voluntary levy, coming into effect in 2025.

Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant has said he wants to see "tangible progress" from the industry in the first quarter of next year.