Big tours eat up the small musician: “People have stopped going to the venues”

In the UK, 125 concert halls will close by 2023, 16% of the 960 venues that were registered in the country. The Music Venue Trust, an organization that ensures the safety and viability of these establishments, proposed a remedy: the Taylor Swift tax (Taylor Swift tax). This measure consists of donating one pound for each ticket for a concert in large stadiums to small and medium-sized live music venues. The solution is named after the American singer because of the stir that her shows have caused in the United Kingdom: the resale price of tickets for her concerts is 100% higher than the price of tickets for her concerts. Show at Wembley on 22 June it exceeded £6,000 (almost €7,000).

In Spain, the state association of concert halls ACCES, with 300 affiliated venues, sees clear differences between this country and the United Kingdom. “The closure of venues in Spain has been a trickle over the last five years, with about three or four a year,” says Elda Gómez, coordinator of the organization. “But we fear that what has happened in the United Kingdom will be repeated here in a few months,” she adds. “It is not a fight between festivals and venues. We have to look for synergies. And the Taylor Swift tax “It could be a good option.”

In 2023, the Spanish music industry broke records: live music generated nearly 579 million euros in ticket sales. A historic high. But only for some. Emerging artists, who do not have the opportunity to make a name for themselves in large venues, have seen ticket sales decline over the past year.

In March, at the same time that Dani Martín, former vocalist of El Canto del Loco, hung the poster sold out In her eight concerts at the WiZink Center in 2025, Andrea Santiago, an almost first-time artist, was at the antipodes. “My reality and that of many emerging groups is that, in some cities, you have one or two tickets sold,” she wrote on her account on X. “Today I have considered cancelling in Valencia, but I am going to go ahead, whatever it may be in the end.” In conversation with The weekly countrydelves into the problem: “There is a lot overbookinga lot of supply, waiting lists to play in certain venues or at festivals. I feel that people, perhaps, reserve themselves for those more powerful events, while the circuit of live performances in venues has been weakening.”

Rocío Saiz, a singer and actress from Madrid who stopped touring venues on a regular basis almost two years ago, is more blunt. “People have stopped going. I think the blame, in addition to the abusive prices of some events and the lack of institutional support, lies with the public. You have to look at the fine print of Spotify [los artistas menos reconocidos]look further ahead,” he claims.

There is no balance on the scales. “If someone has already bought a ticket for Dani Martín, they have already made a significant expenditure. And even if our concert is only 10 euros, at most 12 or 15, it is noticeable,” admits Claudia Duque, stage name Claudia LeonThis 21-year-old artist from Madrid entered the scene three years ago. She is joined by Lidia Aguilar (Madrid, 22 years old), singer-songwriter who will do a small tour of Spain this summer: “Culture goes beyond what is mainstream. Emerging artists also need our space.” The artists agree with ACCES: the music industry needs institutional support and, perhaps, measures such as a Taylor Swift tax may offer a remedy to revitalize the circuit.

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