Systemic racial bias costing London live scene £141m annually, finds report
Black and South Asian music events in the UK capital are being disproportionately hit with cancellations and shifting license regulations
News By Hanna Ellington | 14 October 2026
Despite Black genres accounting for around 80% of the UK’s music market, a new report finds that Black and South Asian music events in London lose £141 million (€167m) annually due to disproportionate cancellations and shifting licensing restrictions compared with white-leaning events.
Black Lives in Music (BLIM) today published the Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) report, a two-year comprehensive investigation into how licensing and policing affect Black and South Asian artists, promoters, and venues in the UK capital.
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