The latest country trying to protect its grassroots music venues and the people who work in them is Germany. An initiative called the ‘Live Music Fund’ will launch at the start of 2026, described as “a voluntary solidarity fund – from the industry, for the industry”.
That means a mixture of donations from ticket sales and money from the industry for a fund that will promote cultural diversity in live music – “at the grassroots level, among young people, at risk”.
The fund will focus on three areas in particular: grants for small and independent venues; funds to support “loss-making newcomer shows” for emerging talent; and projects around inclusion, sustainability, education and visibility.
The project has been launched by the LiveKultur federal foundation.
“The Live Music Fund is a voluntary industry model that assumes responsibility before legislators are required to do so,” said LiveKomm MD and LiveKultur advisory-board member Christian Ordon.
“Given political developments, we need an autonomous and independent funding tool that is funded by the industry, not the state.”
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