Published
Fri, Feb 10, 2023, 12:00
- This amounts to 365 clubs since March 2020.
Almost one in three UK clubs have closed since the pandemic, according to a new Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) report.
Published yesterday, January 9th, the 55-page UK Electronic Music Industry Report found that 29.3 percent of clubs have closed during this period—365 in total. The report also valued the electronic music industry at £2.6 billion, with nightclubs valued at £1.6 billion and festivals at £519 million.
Conducted with data firm Audience Strategies, the report sought to demonstrate the economic, community and cultural value of the electronic music industry. Some of the challenges faced by clubs and festivals include obtaining a licence, gentrification and spiralling energy costs. A poll conducted by the NTIA found that 83 percent of clubs are on a "knife edge," with 43 percent barely breaking even and 40 percent losing money, despite government support.
The report also outlines methods of support and potential solutions to these issues, such as enlisting a nationwide nighttime economy adviser, encouraging community involvement, addressing gentrification and redevelopment, and easing regulatory burdens.
Electronic music is "one of the UK's understated phenomena," said NTIA CEO Michael Kill. "It shapes and embraces communities, educates, inspires and unites the UK with its unique form of culture."
Kill described the UK government as having "a limited understanding" of the industry, proven by the fact that electronic music was initially omitted from the Cultural Recovery Fund during the pandemic.
He continued: "We hope that the government, through industry insight, will have a greater understanding of the sector, and support it in a way that cements its future in British culture."
The NTIA released the report to coincide with the Night Time Economy Summit, which began yesterday, February 9th, and continues today at London club E1. Topics include sustainability, Brexit, diversity, women's safety, access to funding, the cost-of-living crisis, mental health and promotion.
Read the report in full.
Photo: Daniel Robert Dinu