30/10/2025
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮 · Do concerts pollute?
It all depends… on the size of the venue.
Not-so-secret news flash: the biggest source of carbon emissions in live music is audience travel.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲?
It means : the bigger the venue, the farther the audience travels, the more we pollute.
At a 100-capacity venue, 42% of the audience lives within 5 km 🚴♀️.
At a 1,000-capacity venue, the average journey jumps to 100 km 🚗.
And the bigger the capacity… the more the distance explodes.*
The paradox in all this? Mega-concerts in stadiums, arenas and large venues only represent 1% of all concerts.
Who do you think organizes the remaining 99%?* 👀
[Suspense music]
𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗨𝗘. Small and mid-sized live venues — from intimate clubs to local festivals and hybrid community spaces. The very same places that, on top of organizing the majority of concerts, give musicians the conditions they need to develop their projects — from creation to stage.
Supporting your local venue means reducing carbon impact and defending the future of live music — everywhere, for everyone. It’s a critical alternative to the trend of « eventization », where industrialized mega-events replace the human-scale, welcoming spaces that foster genuine social connections.
𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥. Because supporting smaller venues is also a political choice.
Better Live is a project co-funded by Europe Creative.
