Small is Better: a manifesto for small and medium-sized venues as the future of live music
The Small is Better campaign is a manifesto to support local venues. It is organised by a coalition of partners, including those involved with the Better Live project, bringing together music networks, venues, festivals, universities and ecological experts from across Europe. The manifesto builds on studies, research and fieldwork across France and Europe in collaboration with hundreds of small and medium-sized venues and festivals to explore how to support artist mobility while reducing the environmental impact of live music.
The campaign is built on the conviction that small venues (under 300 capacity) and medium-sized venues (under 2000) are the pillars of a more desirable and sustainable live music sector. In a time of global warming and shrinking resources, Small is Better calls on the music sector to rethink live music through a systemic transformation – one that recognises the key role of small venues and medium-sized venues, which are vital for cultural life, artists’ careers, sustaining musicians, providing spaces for creation and offering accessible programming.
Read the manifesto below and learn how supporting small venues contributes to:
- a lively, diverse culture accessible to all unwavering support for artistic diversity and for artists themselves;
- a long-term model built on proximity, cooperation and fairness welcoming, inclusive spaces that put people and community first;
- a fairer distribution of resources, benefiting more artists;
- a concrete response to the climate challenges ahead; and
- a better spread of cultural life across all territories.