The State of Live is the first comprehensive national economic research study examining independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and performing arts centers. Released on June 23, 2025, this groundbreaking report quantifies their significant economic contributions, explores challenges facing their sustainability, and provides invaluable data to drive advocacy and support. Learn more and view the full report here.
The Final State of Live National Report Is Out Now!
"Independent venues are more than stages for entertainment; they are economic engines and cultural lifelines."
— Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA
STATE OF LIVE:
NATIONAL REPORT
Total Taxes Generated by Independent Live Stages
Local Taxes: $3.14B • State Taxes: $4.17B • Federal Taxes: $12B
$153.1B
TOTAL Economic Output
183.7M
TOTAL FANS SERVED
64%
WERE NOT PROFITABLE
Independent live venues, promoters, and festivals are cultural cornerstones and economic powerhouses.
In 2024, the independent live sector generated $153.1 billion in total economic output and served 183.7 million fans–but 64% operated without profitability. Their survival is threatened by inflation, monopolistic pressures, and predatory ticket resale practices. Yet their economic footprint is vast, their community impact is undeniable, and their importance to the national economy is backed by hard data. This report captures the scale, value, and urgency of the independent live sector.
See You At NIVA ‘26 in Minneapolis!
After bringing together nearly 1,400 attendees in Milwaukee in 2025, we’re turning up the volume for our fifth annual conference—landing in a city known for its grit, guitars, and iconic independent venues.
Join us in Minneapolis, June 7–10, 2026, for bold conversations, compelling programming, and performances you won’t forget.
Early bird registration and programming details coming soon.
RSVP on Socials: LinkedIn | Facebook
That’s a wrap on NIVA ‘25 in Brew City!
We’re signing off from our fourth annual conference in Milwaukee! Thanks to everyone who joined us. See you in Minneapolis for NIVA ‘26!
NIVA ‘25 Conference
JUNE 23–25, 2025 | MILWAUKEE, WI
The premier gathering of the nation’s independent live concert, comedy, promoter, venue, and festival industry, NIVA ‘25 once again united the independent live entertainment community with an immersive experience, featuring dynamic programming, educational panels, networking opportunities, live performances, and notable speakers from Meta, YouTube Music, Eventbrite, Wasserman, Riot Fest, BandsinTown, Billboard, Summerfest, and more.
WITH OPENING PARTY ON JUNE 22ND
Explore NIVA ‘25
Missed any sessions? Video recordings will be made available in early July. Keep an eye on your inboxes for more info.
5 Years Strong. Amplifying Live Independent.
We are venues, promoters, festivals, and performing arts centers.
Our stages are the center of live performance in every community, including music, comedy, theater, spoken word, and dance.
It All Starts
On Local Stages
Live Independent is a certification program introduced by NIVA that elevates and safeguards independent venues, promoters, and festivals nationwide. Supported by the industry-leading live event discovery platform Bandsintown, the new initiative is designed to enhance the quality and sustainability of independent live entertainment while preserving the authentic and unique spirit that defines these cultural hubs. Live Independent aims to get more fans to come to independent stages and to convince more artists to play independent stages.
Live Independent
NIVA In The News
WAtch: How independent music venues united to take on ticket price gouging
The PBS NewsHour's Tim McPhillips spoke to those behind the scenes and on stage, about a new era of cooperation to keep small, independent venues, and artists, in business. This segment, featuring NIVA members The Atlantis and First Avenue, details the challenges still threatening the marketplace of live music venues that artists need to survive.
You can also read the accompanying article by Tim McPhillips, Some small music venues kept rocking even after COVID shut them down. Here’s how they did it.
Recent News Highlights
As the nation’s live entertainment association, our mission is to cultivate, elevate, and advocate for a sustainable and equitable ecosystem of independent performance venues, festivals, and promoters.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of live entertainment. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits and advocacy on the state and federal level, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
The National Independent Venue Association is committed to equity in our support and advocacy for independent venues, and seek to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities. NIVA is committed to creating and upholding a safe space for its members where respectful conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility can continue to happen. NIVA makes an ongoing commitment to prioritize DEI initiatives and learn more about best practices and approaches to DEI in the live performance industry, and to provide resources and professional development opportunities to support NIVA’s members in doing the same for their individual businesses.