New research warns that the UK may lose its next generation of headline talent with opportunities for young people dwindling
Over 1.5million young people in the UK have abandoned ambitions to perform live music, largely due to the decline of small venues.
A report shared today (April 21) has found that the UK has lost 11,000 venues since 2019 - roughly 4-5 every day. If this rate continues, it will mean another 2,000 venues could close by 2030.
These closures are impacting young people, with 54% of 18-25-year-olds polled saying they have wanted to perform live music at some point, but 28% have given up or scaled back ambitions due to a lack of venues. 22% added that performing live feels unrealistic where they live.
The findings come ahead of the Seed Sounds Weekender, a nationwide, multi-venue, free festival that will run between April 24-26 this year, across more than 2,000 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in 20 UK towns and cities, hosting over 2,000 live performances. It supports "seed venues", which often support emerging artists.
The analysis warns that the shrinking network of seed music venues is preventing young people from accessing opportunities that have historically produced Britain's biggest artists, raising concern that the next generation of headline acts may never get the chance to even get started.
However, interest in live music remains high, even if opportunities are dwindling. 63% of young people surveyed said they would go out more if pubs hosted live music, while 59% prefer discovering artists live as opposed to online. 57% also said that pub live music is an important part of British culture.
The Lottery Winners, The Lathums, Royston Club, Brooke Combe, Red Rum Club and Jamie Webster are among the artists supporting seed venues, while The 1975's Matty Healy was last year's festival ambassador.
Ahead of last year's event, Healy said that "local venues aren't just where bands cut their teeth, they're the foundation of any real culture. Without them, you don't get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence."
He added that "the erosion of funding for seed and grassroots spaces is part of a wider liberal tendency to strip away the socially democratic infrastructure that actually makes art possible. What's left is a cultural economy where only the privileged can afford to create, and where only immediately profitable art survives."
This year's Seed Sounds Weekender will see Manchester's Oast House as the festival's Main Stage. You can find more information and get free tickets here.
Thom Rylance of The Lottery Winners said that seed venues "are where bands are truly born", adding: "They provided us with our first stage, and that first step on the journey towards everything else. We wouldn't be playing the venues and festivals we do today without them.
"It's worrying to think that young people today might give up on musical ambitions because of a lack of venues that will support them in those very early days. If we don't protect the live ecosystem as a whole, we will lose exciting, talented artists at the very beginning," he added.
Meanwhile, Webster said: "The pub circuit was where it all started for me. I'd play cover sets and throw in some original songs whenever I had the nerve. Even after I signed my first record deal with Modern Sky UK, pubs and bars were where I'd try new things."
He went on to say: "Seed music venues are so important for that reason: there's no hiding behind a big production or high up on a stage. It's just you, your songs and the audience. That's where you find out who you are as an artist. It's really important the music community backs the seed space."
The findings follow news in recent years that grassroots venues have closed at a "disastrous rate", and a "complete collapse of touring" across the UK has been afflicting small venues across the country - with Music Venue Trust demanding a "full, long overdue reform".
Back in January, the government delivered a U-turn and a package of extra support for pubs and venues, after previously dealing them a devastating blow with massively increased business rates.
However, there remains pressure mounting for the UK's smaller venues and rising artists to receive a contribution from arena and stadium gigs to ensure their survival. The model - already in use in several countries across Europe, similar to the one seen in the Premier League of football - was given the government's backing back in 2024, but criticism surrounds how larger shows in the UK have brought in record profits with many not paying into the system.
It comes amid findings that the grassroots sector subsidised live music by £76.6million in 2025, while recent larger shows at arena and stadium level saw UK live music contribute a record-breaking £8billion to the economy.
