Before a band can build an audience, it needs somewhere to play. But a major investigation into London’s live music industry suggests that, for some artists and promoters, getting through the venue door is far harder than it should be.
The Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) report, led by Black Lives in Music, finds that Black and South Asian-led events face disproportionate scrutiny, restrictions and cancellations. The estimated cost to London’s live music economy is between £127 million and £141 million in lost spending each year. That is an estimate of wider economic activity, not simply money lost by venues.
When the music becomes the risk
According to the research, events associated with Afrobeats, hip-hop, drill, R&B and dancehall are more likely to be treated as high risk, while indie, pop and rock events generally face less scrutiny. Researchers describe cases in which promoters were given little explanation for restrictions or cancellations, making decisions difficult to challenge.
Public safety matters at every gig. Nobody is arguing that venues should ignore genuine threats. The question is whether the same standards are being applied to everybody, and whether decisions are based on specific, credible evidence rather than assumptions about a genre or its audience.
For a small promoter, the consequences can be brutal. A sudden security bill, an unexpected condition or a cancelled date can wipe out a show before a single ticket is scanned. The REMEL research includes examples of substantial additional security costs, and reports that 79% of surveyed respondents would programme more Black and South Asian music if the risk of police intervention were reduced.
What happens to the artists who never get booked?
The headline financial estimate is startling, but the less visible cost might be the opportunities that disappear. An emerging act needs those early gigs to find its feet, develop a following and eventually move into larger rooms. If a promoter decides that booking a particular kind of music carries too much uncertainty, the gig may never happen at all.
At Imminent Infinity, we’ve written about Manchester’s investment in grassroots music spaces and asked where money from the grassroots ticket levy really goes. Those debates are important. But supporting grassroots music must mean more than keeping the lights on. It must also mean asking who gets a fair chance to stand on the stage.
That’s particularly worth recognising from an independent publication that spends much of its time covering guitar bands. The report’s comparison with indie and rock isn’t an accusation against those artists or their fans. It’s evidence of an uneven playing field that the wider industry should care about.
A familiar problem, years after Form 696
London’s controversial Form 696, a police risk-assessment process criticised for disproportionately targeting Black music events, was scrapped in 2017. REMEL argues that its legacy remains in current decision-making. The project began in 2023 and brought together organisations including the Greater London Authority, Metropolitan Police, UK Music, LIVE and the Musicians’ Union.
The report calls for more transparent, consistent and evidence-based licensing, independent scrutiny and clearer ways to challenge decisions. The Metropolitan Police has said it will consider the findings, while maintaining that public safety remains its priority.
Grassroots music has to be for everyone
There is a temptation to talk about the grassroots crisis purely in terms of closing venues, rising costs and the price of a pint. We’ve also covered Brighton’s free grassroots shows opening doors to emerging acts and the financial pressures that have pushed Night Flight towards a hiatus. All of those things matter. But a healthy live music scene is also one where artists are not quietly filtered out before they have a chance to perform.
The real test of this report will not be whether the industry agrees that its findings are troubling. It will be whether the people making licensing decisions change how those decisions are made. Because the next great live act could come from any scene, and every scene deserves a fair opportunity to be heard.
Sources: Black Lives in Music: REMEL report and recommendations; The Guardian, 14 October 2026.
