Live DMA
Live DMA is a European non-governmental network working to support and to promote the conditions of the live music sector.
ID: 244707840354-19
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Georg Haeusler (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)
4 Nov 2025 · Joint call to ban dynamic pricing in live events
Meeting with Hannes Heide (Member of the European Parliament)
30 Jun 2025 · General exchange of views
Response to A Culture Compass for Europe
29 Apr 2025
The Culture Compass must embrace a vision that secures the diversity, independence, and resilience of Europes cultural and creative sectors, with live music as a crucial pillar. Live music venues, clubs and festivals are vital public goodsspaces where freedom of artictic expression and social cohesion converge. However, they currently face acute threats that must be addressed through the new EU cultural strategy. First, economic fragility, inflation, and urban pressures threaten the survival of independent venues. Rising operational costs, post-pandemic uncertainties, and gentrification trends are limiting cultural access and harming artistic diversity. The EU must encourage Member States to recognize live music venues within their cultural policies and secure dedicated, cross-sectorial investmentsnotably through urban planning and regional development fundsto safeguard these spaces. Live DMA also supports the creation of a "European Live Music Label," inspired by the European Heritage Label, to formally recognize venues as critical cultural infrastructures. We must also consider redistribution mechanisms to re-invest the value created along the music value chain to the live music scenes which are the research and development department of the sector. Second, the growing market concentration in ticketing, promotion, and venue ownership restricts fair competition and diversity. Live DMA calls for the establishment of a European Music Observatory to monitor market dynamics. Alongside this, the EU must strengthen competition law enforcement in the cultural sector and better regulate ticketing markets, ensuring price transparency and protecting consumers from exploitative practices. Third, precarious working conditions in the sector must be urgently tackled. Cultural workers, especially freelancers, face unstable incomes and lack access to social protection. The adoption of a European Fair Practice Code is necessary to promote fair pay, employment security, and inclusivity. Updated research into working conditions, coordinated through the Music Observatory, will be key to driving targeted, evidence-based reforms. Fourth, inclusion and diversity remain critical gaps. Women, gender minorities, and marginalized communities remain underrepresented in programming and leadership roles. The EU must prioritize diversity and accessibility, expand Creative Europes support for inclusive initiatives, and provide funding to improve accessibility in cultural venues. A harmonized EU methodology for monitoring inclusion indicators should be developed through the Music Observatory as well. Fifth, to align with the Green Deal, targeted funds must support renewable energy infrastructure in venues (e.g., solar panels, energy-efficient equipment) and low-carbon mobility for artists and audiences as it would help smaller operators transition toward greener operations without compromising their financial stability. Cross-border cooperation and rail-based touring circuits should be incentivized, and sustainable practices integrated into EU and national cultural strategies. Lastly, there must be a rebalancing of cultural funding. While cinema received 58% of Creative Europe funding, music-related projects received just 3.5%, despite live musics critical role in Europe's cultural life. Live DMA calls for 2% of the future MFF to be dedicated to culture, with at least 50 million earmarked for live music through Music Moves Europe over the next five years. This funding must support the long-term resilience of venues, clubs and festivals, ensuring Europe remains a global leader in musical diversity, artistic innovation, and democratic cultural participation.
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