The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has released a groundbreaking set of studies detailing the economic influence of independent live entertainment across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — while warning of mounting financial pressures threatening their survival.
The 51 State of Live reports, published October 8, break down localized data on how small and midsized venues, festivals, and promoters contribute to state economies. The research follows NIVA’s national State of Live study from June 2025, which found that in 2024, independent venues generated $153.1 billion in total economic output, contributed $86.2 billion to U.S. GDP, supported over 907,000 jobs, and paid more than $51.7 billion in wages and benefits.
“Every community has a story to tell about how independent venues power their local economy and culture,” said NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker. “These reports reaffirm that state and local elected officials have significant reasons to protect them and ensure they have a seat at the table during policymaking.”
While the reports highlight the outsized economic and cultural value of independent stages, they also reveal stark financial challenges. NIVA found that 64% of independent venues were unprofitable in 2024, with state-by-state data painting an even bleaker picture in some regions — including 81% unprofitability in New York, 80% in Ohio, 69% in California, and 65% in Florida.
According to NIVA, inflation has dramatically increased expenses for staffing, rent, utilities, insurance, and artist costs, while anti-competitive practices from Live Nation–Ticketmaster continue to limit market access and squeeze independent operators. Compounding those pressures, predatory ticket resale practices divert fan spending away from venues and artists.
“We’ve known for years how important independent venues are to our communities, but with this data, we can better make the case to state and local legislators that we matter,” said Sean Watterson, chair of NIVA’s Economic Research Task Force. “We can use NIVA’s research to strengthen local music ecosystems and protect the value we bring to our communities.”
NIVA is urging state lawmakers to use the findings to enact policies that preserve the live ecosystem, including:
- Ticket resale price caps and bans on speculative ticketing, such as those already in place in Maine and Maryland, to protect fans from deception and price gouging; and
- Live music and performance funds, modeled on programs in Texas and Tennessee, to help independent venues and festivals remain viable community anchors.
The full State of Live reports are available at nivassoc.org/stateoflive/state-reports.
NIVA was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely as a vehicle for advocating on behalf of the Save Our Stages act, which funneled more than $16 billion in federal grant money towards supporting event promoters, venues, and other live event businesses shut down by crowd restrictions. Since that time, it has supported a mixed bag of initiatives, sometimes pushing back against Live Nation Entertainment’s enormous market power, but in many instances serving as an important and conveniently independent voice on behalf of initiatives that the corporate behemoth also supports.
