Live and electronic music fans’ charter

Key findings

• Fans face concerns about market dominance of large corporations in live music; the CMA should monitor competitive position and the government should ban ticket resale above face value without delay.
• Accessibility barriers persist: venues should allocate minimum 2% wheelchair capacity; the sector needs a UK-wide disability access kitemark; and standardised accessible ticketing must be implemented across all platforms.
• Safety and safeguarding require strengthened protocols: venues must provide clear reporting mechanisms for harassment/assault, consistent staff training, drug testing and harm reduction services, and free drinking water.
• Grassroots music infrastructure needs support: government should establish mandatory levies on larger events to redistribute resources to grassroots venues and emerging artists; local authorities should appoint cabinet members with music portfolios.
• Fan representation is underdeveloped: government and industry should establish and fund a Music Fans Association; annual surveys should track fan experiences with rotating genre deep-dives to capture underrepresented communities.

Recommendations

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport should commission research strengthening data on underrepresented live and electronic music genres to inform policy and funding.
• UK Government should legislate to ban ticket resale above face value without delay and robustly enforce this provision.
• Government should take powers in ticketing legislation to introduce mandatory levy on larger events to redistribute resources to grassroots venues, festivals, promoters and emerging artists if voluntary approaches prove inadequate.
• Competition and Markets Authority should monitor market dominance of large corporations in UK live music industry to ensure it is not detrimental to fans.
• Information Commissioner's Office should provide clarity on fan data sharing and issue guidance for live music industry on safe, transparent use of fan data.
• UK Government should embed 'agent of change' principle in planning legislation in England and strengthen it across whole of UK following Scotland's example.
• Venues should allocate minimum 2% of total capacity to wheelchair accessible spaces; local authorities should ensure this target is part of planning requirements for new or refurbished venues.
• UK Government and music industry bodies should commission disability-led organisations to develop UK-wide disability access kitemark for third-party event providers.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission should provide clear guidance on reasonable adjustments at live and electronic music events in consultation with disability-led organisations.
• Department for Transport should commission research into late-night economy mobility gaps between cities, towns and rural communities in partnership with devolved governments and local authorities.
• Government and music industry should establish and fund Music Fans Association (MFA) similar to football, with government providing initial seed funding and industry taking long-term funding role.
• Government should commission annual music fans' survey from 2027 with rotating deep-dives into different genres to ensure underrepresented genres and audiences are understood.
• Local authorities should appoint cabinet member with 'music' specified within their portfolio.
• Venues and festivals should standardise accessible ticketing across all platforms and ensure consistent booking processes and equal access for disabled fans including companion tickets and resale options.
• Third-party security firms should provide staff training on safeguarding including sexual assault response, disability awareness, and anti-discriminatory practice with new accreditation level available.

Key actors

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Competition and Markets Authority, Information Commissioner's Office, UK Government, Local authorities, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Department for Transport, Home Office