NIVA’s Live List Highlights 47 Up-And-Coming Acts

Who better to sense an act on the verge of breaking big than a small venue operator?

For every billion-dollar blockbuster tour, there’s a thousand up-and-comers plying their trade on the club stages from Bangor to Burbank.

For the second year, the National Independent Venue Association surveyed more than 1,000 of its members for The Live List, a “definitive list of independent entertainment industry insiders’ favorite live performers.”

The Live List, produced by NIVA in conjunction with Paste magazine and The Black List, is a survey of NIVA members who identify must-see musicians, comedians, performing artists, and other acts on the rise. The Live List utilizes the expertise of live entertainment professionals who dedicate their lives to live shows and building artists’ careers. 

“Without artists, stages would be silent,” Stephen Parker, Executive Director, National Independent Venue Association, said in a release. “Venues, festivals, and promoters uplift up-and-coming artists because they recognize the power of emerging voices finding the resonance they deserve. The NIVA Live List embodies the spirit of every independent stage, providing a national platform for the world to witness the remarkable rising talent experienced by those who put on shows every night.”

The 2024 Live List highlights 47 artists including Alana Springsteen, Bar Italia, Bob the Drag Queen, LA LOM, Liz Miele, Medium Build, Otoboke Beaver, Paris Texas, Say She She, Thus Love, Young Gun Silver Fox, and more. The full list is below.

“NIVA members are actively booking, promoting, and attending hundreds – if not thousands – of shows every year and therefore have the proven ability to identify talent that can have long and sustainable careers in the live space,” says Jordan Anderson, Troubadour Talent Booker and The Live List Task Force Co-chair. “The Live List has been the perfect initiative for NIVA to help foster these acts in our rooms and beyond.”

A year-long celebration of Live List artists will kick off in Austin with two SXSW events, at NIVA’s official Day Party during the SoCo Stomp at C-Boys Heart & Soul, March 13, noon to 7 p.m; and at NIVA’s Live List Showcase at Antone’s Nightclub, March 14, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“We see acts that really have the ability to go the distance and, with that, we believe The Live List is a way for us to continue to help develop and foster these artists as they move forward in their careers,” says Jake Diamond, the Marketing Director for Union Stage Presents and The Live List Task Force Co-chair.

The 2024 Live List of featured up-and-coming artists includes:

Alana Springsteen

Annie DiRusso

Arcy Drive

Ax and the Hatchetmen

Bar Italia

Billy Woods

Bob the Drag Queen

Brainstory

Daniel Donato

Dehd

Devon Gilfillian

Dry Cleaning

Etran de L’Aïr

Frankie and the Witch Fingers

Gianmarco Soresi

Glove

Hermanos Gutiérrez

Jessica L’Whor

LA LOM

Lip Critic

Liz Miele

LP Giobbi

Mannywellz

Medium Build

Michigander

Miya Folick

Model/Actriz

Nation of Language

Otoboke Beaver

Paris Texas

Petey

Ratboys

Raye

Say She She

Sir Chloe

Slow Pulp

Sweeping Promises

Taylor Acorn

The Beths

The Last Dinner Party

The Moss

The Nude Party

Thus Love

Vandoliers

Willi Carlisle

Yard Act

Young Gun Silver Fox