Celebrating LIVE’s 2025 Awards and Continued Support for the UK Music Sector

The UK live music industry came together last week for the LIVE Awards 2025, an annual celebration recognising the people, venues and organisations shaping live music across the country. Held on 10 December at The Troxy in East London, the awards welcomed more than 500 industry guests spanning promoters, venues, festivals, agents and artist managers from across the UK .

This year’s event was particularly relevant for Liverpool City Region, with local organisations including Sound City, Philharmonic Hall and KINO among the nominees. The evening also opened with a powerful film by Liverpool-based creative studio KINO, highlighting LIVE’s work and impact over the past year.

LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) is the national voice of the UK live music and entertainment business, representing over 3,000 businesses and more than 34,000 artists. Its work spans lobbying, economic analysis, skills development and diversity, helping ensure the sector’s interests are understood by government and policymakers.

Jon Collins, Chief Executive of LIVE and Chair of Liverpool City Region Music Board, reflected on the evening:

“The LIVE Awards were a fantastic celebration of the people who make this industry what it is. With nominees from across the UK it was great to see Liverpool City Region businesses in the mix, including Sound City, Philharmonic Hall and KINO. We continued to build on ideas introduced in previous years, including our vegan-first menu, and expanded our commitment to inclusivity with a dedicated no- and low-alcohol bar in partnership with Club Soda, plus a calm space for anyone who needed a breather. Huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and a big thank you to all our sponsors, we can’t wait to come back even bigger in 2026.”

Fifteen awards were presented on the night, celebrating excellence across all parts of the live music ecosystem. The evening culminated in the LIVEtime Achievement Award, presented to Stuart Galbraith, Founder and CEO of Kilimanjaro Live, in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the sector .

Beyond celebrating achievement, the LIVE Awards also serve as LIVE’s primary annual fundraising event. All proceeds support LIVE’s ongoing work with government and help members meet sustainability goals while fostering a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry .

This year’s event also marked a significant milestone for the LIVE Trust, the industry-led initiative funding grassroots music through a voluntary £1 contribution from tickets to gigs, concerts and events with capacities over 5,000. Reflecting on the progress made so far, Jon Collins added:

“The night was also a celebration of our work on the LIVE Trust… With a wealth of tours on board – from Foo Fighters to Take That, Olivia Dean to My Chemical Romance – we now have over 3.5 million tickets pledged. Stand by for an announcement early in the New Year on which programmes, all in support of grassroots music, will be the first to benefit.”

The LCR Music Board welcomes the continued leadership and advocacy LIVE provides for the UK music sector, and is proud to see Liverpool City Region organisations recognised on a national stage.