Liveurope Secures $2.9M EU Funding To Support Talent & Venues Until 2028

Liveurope, the pan-European initiative supporting concert venues in promoting European talent, announced that its EU funding has been renewed for the fourth consecutive time in the form of a €2.8 million ($2.9 million) grant secured for 2025 to 2028.

An initiative of the EU’s Creative Europe program, Liveurope unites 24 European music venues, providing incentives for them to book diverse and emerging European talent. This renewed support will ensure the platform continues its mission, which has seen impressive results across its ten years of existence.

They include 5,000-plus concerts with emerging European talent, including now established names such as Hania Rani (PL), Altın Gün (NL), and MØ (DK); a 63% increase in the number of emerging European non-national artists booked per venue on average;
66% increase in the number of artists nationalities booked by the venues in total;   
more than twofold increase in the circulation of non-English repertoire;
84% increase in the number of members since 2014, from 13 to 24 across 24 countries.

Member venues include Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium; Átlas in Kyiv, Ukraine; Kino Siska in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Apolo in Barcelona, Spain; Stodola in Warsaw, Poland; Village Underground in London, UK; and more.

Funding is allocated to Liveurope member venues based on the number of emerging European acts they book. According to a press release from Liveurope, “this model has led to a 63% increase in the number of non-national European artists programmed on average by Liveurope members compared to before they became a member.”

Liveurope expects to reach a milestone of 8,000 supported concerts by the end of the grant period in 2028. The new funding cycle will prioritize sustainability and inclusivity, collecting data to promote sustainable touring practices, and encourage the use of greener transport options. Furthermore, as a Keychange pledge signatory, Liveurope will continue its commitment to gender balance, aiming for 50% of the acts supported to reflect gender balance by 2028.

Fernando Bittencourt Hersan, Liveurope’s general coordinator, commented, “In times where artists increasingly rely on touring to make a living, production costs for gigs continue to explode, and multinational conglomerates dominate more and more the live music value chain, Liveurope’s mission, to support venues to take risks and invest in the next generation of European artists, gains a whole new meaning.”

Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, director general of the European Commission’s directorate-general for education, youth, sport, and culture, commented, “Liveurope has made a tremendous difference for the music scene in Europe. It has made a huge contribution to thousands of emerging artists it has supported, fostering the power of music to inspire and unite.”

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