Live music in the Netherlands under increasing pressure: number of festivals and low-threshold offer decreases; offer in pop venues still grows

In recent years, the supply of pop concerts and festivals has come under pressure, according to the Dutch Live Music Monitor launched at music conference Eurosonic Noorderslag on 15 January.

The number of festivals with pop performances in 2024 was lower than the previous 15 years. The number of places where pop concerts are organised have declined from 904 in 2016 to 626 in 2024. The number of pop concerts organised annually in the Netherlands did reach record highs in 2023 and 2024, meaning that the number of concerts per stage rose sharply. Theatres in particular saw a strong increase in pop concerts. 

Although the overall offer of concerts continues to grow, the share of low-key concerts is declining: places where people can experience live music in informal places without having to buy a ticket (such as in cafés and in public spaces). It is also notable that the number of concert venues in the Randstad provinces (North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht) is declining less rapidly than in the rest of the Netherlands (except Groningen). These developments, combined with the sharp decline in the number of pop festivals, suggest that the proximity and low accessibility of live music are under pressure, especially in the region. This has an impact on both the career development of artists, and for audiences' exposure to live music.

More and more artists but throughput and diversity remain limited

The number of artists performing annually in the Netherlands continues to grow, reaching more than 9,000 in 2023 and 2024. However, this is not yet leading to more sustainable live careers: almost half of all artists were only programmed once or twice between 2008 and 2024. It is even harder for underrepresented groups (including women and non-binary artists) to build long live careers: three-quarters of the underrepresented groups has been active as live performers for a maximum of three years, compared to 66 % of the men. Since 2022, the proportion of under-represented groups at festivals is higher than at venues: before 2022, it was the other way round.

The gender and origin diversity of pop artists is still limited. By 2024, 18% of all performers were (fully) female or non-binary. Although that is a marked increase compared to 2008 (11%), the share after 2019 (19.5%) is again slightly decreased. The share of bands consisting of both women and men did increase in recent years from 6% to 15%. Developments in gender balance also differ greatly by genre: within produced music, the share of performances by artists who are women or non-binary increases markedly after the corona years. In terms of diversity in artists' origins, little has changed since 2008. The share of artists from Europe and North America is structurally above 95%. The share of Dutch artists was around 75% for a long time but declined in the years after Covid to 71% in 2024. The number of Dutch artists on the bigger stages did grow.

Less rock, much more tribute

The popularity of rock music in venues and festivals is waning. The share of rock artists at venues fell from 35% (2008) to 24% (2024) and at festivals from 33% to 18%. Venues have started to programme much more pop and electronic music, while festivals mainly focus on dance and indie. Across the total offer, the genres experimental, indie, world music, metal and punk have become more popular in recent years.

In addition the rise of tribute artists is as yet unstoppable: in 2024, there was a record number of almost 1800 performances by tribute and cover artists in the Netherlands, accounting for almost 7% of the entire live offer.

The Dutch Live Music Monitor contains a detailed overview of the supply of pop performances in venues and festivals. The monitor is based on a database of over 387,000 performances by almost 43,000 artists in the period 2008-2024 and includes a large number of analyses and trends in terms of venues and festivals, artists (diversity, throughput, live careers) and the geographical distribution of live music in the Netherlands.

The monitor was developed by Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Boekman Foundation and will be available from 15 January 2026 from 12:00 here find.