There’s a huge imbalance in the concert industry: mega-shows are booming while small venues are dying. “A third of our members are in the red,” says Alexander Bücheli, media spokesperson for the Bar & Club Commission Zurich, speaking to Negative White. At the same time, the number of concerts with capacities above 50,000—and the number of people attending them—rose by 50 percent from 2023 to 2024 in Germany, according to GEMA. Unfortunately, SUISA was unable to provide comparable data for Switzerland because they could not be reached.
“It’s not a crisis of demand. Live music as an ecosystem is in a structural crisis,” says Diego Dahinden, head of Petzi, the Swiss Federation of Venues and Festivals.
What would Ed Sheeran be without pub shows? Adriatique without their longtime home base, Zukunft (RIP)? The music industry’s ecosystem needs small venues to thrive. “We are all connected. Without small clubs, youth centres, and run-down bars, there’s no big-stage talent. That’s true even for Hecht or similar acts,” says Daniel Kissling of Kiff Aarau to Negative White.
German Industry Unites in Solidarity (Without the Big Three)
Before more clubs and venues are forced to close—or to change their programming to cater to financial rather than creative needs—German concert and festival promoters are taking action. Starting 1 January 2026, they will launch the Live Music Fund, described as “the solidarity contribution for the vitality of tomorrow’s culture.”
The fund aims to step in where “live music is most vulnerable” and will offer club funding, underutilisation fees for newcomer shows, and support for projects focused on inclusion, sustainability, training, and visibility.
The fund is based solely on solidarity and rests on three pillars of income, with 50 percent of the money remaining within the region:
- Donations at the point of ticket purchase
- Ticket surcharges by organisers and artists
- Micro-funding within the industry
Several industry institutions have already committed to the cause, including Reeperbahn Festival, Uebel & Gefährlich, Delta Konzerte, and alternative ticket sellers ticket.io and deinetickets.de. However, Live Nation Germany, FKP Scorpio, and DEAG Entertainment—none of the “big three” of the German concert business—are on board.
Switzerland: 99 Problems, Talent Ain’t One
With movement in Germany, attention turns to the Swiss scene: its health and its plans to tackle the ongoing crisis.