Listening to Our City Region: Key Findings from the LCR Music Sector Consultation

In March 2025, over 130 music professionals and artists from across the Liverpool City Region came together to take part in a consultation session hosted by the LCR Music Board. We’d like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who joined us and generously contributed their experiences, insights and ideas.

This event was a vital step in helping us better understand the current landscape of the music sector in our city region — its challenges, opportunities, and what support is needed most. Your input has directly shaped a new body of work that will inform the Music Board’s revised strategy and future priorities, as we welcome new board members and prepare for the next stage of development.

What You Told Us: Key Themes

Through a series of open discussions and written responses, participants responded to three central questions:

1. What are the biggest challenges facing the music sector, now and in the future?
2. What opportunities do you need — and what can be done to help?
3. What workshops or support would be most useful?

We analysed all contributions and identified the most frequent and impactful themes. Here’s a snapshot of what we found:

Funding and Financial Sustainability: Many respondents raised serious concerns about the lack of sustainable income streams, especially for grassroots artists, venues and small-scale promoters. There were calls for more accessible funding, fairer artist fees, and financial training for freelancers.

Venue Crisis and Infrastructure Gaps: Venue closures, high hire fees, and the lack of mid-size spaces are creating bottlenecks across the live sector. Participants noted that without affordable, well-equipped venues, it’s harder to develop talent and reach audiences.

Inclusion, Representation and Access: There was a strong desire to see the region’s music scene better reflect its full diversity. Responses highlighted barriers for underrepresented groups — including women, Black artists, older musicians, and those with SEND — as well as a need for greater genre diversity and support for music of Black origin.

Career Development and Skills: Participants told us they need help navigating the business side of the music industry. This includes everything from marketing and accounting to understanding contracts and building sustainable careers across performance, production, and education.

Audience Building and Cultural Shifts: With changes in nightlife culture and the cost of living crisis, many artists and venues are struggling to attract younger audiences and maintain ticket sales. Ideas included better promotion, school outreach, and centralised gig listings.

What Happens Next?

These findings will be used to help shape the LCR Music Board’s updated strategy and future priorities. Our aim is to build a fairer, more connected, and more sustainable music ecosystem — one that recognises and nurtures talent at every level, across all genres and communities.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation. Your honesty and vision are shaping the future of music in our region.

Explore the visual summary below to see the recurring themes in more detail.