Bandsintown And NIVA Launch New Initiatives To Strengthen Independent Live Music

Independent venues have long served as the foundation of live music culture, providing critical spaces for emerging artists, local scenes, and music communities to thrive. Now, two new initiatives announced at the NIVA Conference aim to bring greater visibility, support, and data to the independent live entertainment sector.

During the opening session of NIVA '26, Bandsintown and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) unveiled plans for Live Independent Month, a nationwide celebration set to launch in Summer 2027, alongside the introduction of the Live Independent Pulse Survey, a new monthly reporting initiative designed to track the health of independent live entertainment businesses across the United States.

The announcement marks an expansion of the ongoing partnership between Bandsintown, NIVA, and the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF), all of whom share a common goal of supporting independent venues, festivals, and promoters.

Live Independent Month will give fans unprecedented access to the businesses and people that power the live music ecosystem. Throughout the month-long celebration, participating venues, festivals, and promoters will offer behind-the-scenes experiences, green room access, venue tours, and conversations with owners and operators. The initiative is designed to spotlight the often unseen work that goes into sustaining independent live entertainment while helping audiences form deeper connections with their local music communities.

In addition to the public-facing campaign, the organizations are launching the Live Independent Pulse Survey, an anonymous monthly data initiative that will provide one of the industry's first consistent nationwide snapshots of how independent venues, festivals, and promoters are performing. Participating businesses will contribute operational insights that will be compiled into an open dataset, giving industry leaders, journalists, and policymakers greater visibility into emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the sector.

The survey builds upon the success of the existing Live Independent Badge Program, which identifies independently owned venues across the Bandsintown platform. Since launching 20 months ago, the program has delivered more than 2 billion targeted event recommendations to fans and generated nearly 60 million ticket purchase clicks, resulting in 2.8 million RSVPs for participating venues.

"Independent venues are the heartbeat of live music, connecting artists, fans, and communities in ways that larger stages often can't," said Fabrice Sergent, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Bandsintown. "They are essential to helping live music flourish and we're proud to continue our efforts with NIVA to elevate their visibility and support their long-term success."

For independent artists, the announcement represents more than just a new industry initiative. It signals a growing recognition of the role smaller venues play in developing careers and sustaining local music scenes. While major festivals and arena tours often dominate headlines, it is independent stages that continue to provide many artists with their first opportunities to build audiences, test new material, and establish lasting connections with fans.

As the live music industry continues to evolve, Live Independent Month and the Live Independent Pulse Survey could become valuable tools in helping preserve and strengthen the independent infrastructure that keeps music communities alive across North America.