London has a strong music scene. It’s a cosmopolitan capital city that attracts millions of people every single year and is home to millions more. It brings vibrant artists both big and small to perform in its multitudes of world-class venues and arenas. None of this is a secret.
But who’s actually the winner?
Yeah, it’s a pretty human impulse to declare a winner. But now there’s some data to actually backup London’s claim as the top live music city in Europe. Songkick shared with IQ Magazine the results of a study they did of some of the world’s top music cities to see which one came up on top in the last full calendar year.
London, in 2016, had 19,940 total live music events. That far outpaces its closest European competitor, Paris, who clocked in with only 11,248 live music events. Okay, that’s still a lot, but it doesn’t come close to London.
London also recorded the most venues in Europe at 1,780. Although we have seen a number of venue closings this year, at least we know the city has some cushion to work with (even though I’d personally rather not see any venues close).
London mayor Sadiq Khan, who’s office has spent a lot of time promoting London’s music scene, crowed about the report from IQ Magazine, “In London, we have some of the greatest places to catch a live gig – from world-class arenas to amazing grassroots music venues – and it is little wonder that music lovers come from across the globe to enjoy our city’s incredible nightlife.”
Of course, the previous statements had to be qualified by “European” city because unfortunately London fell short to two American cities. New York placed first in the study with 28,529 live music events in 2016 and Los Angeles came in second with 20,843. Additionally, London came in second in total music venues to Los Angeles, who had 2,002 (also leading one to wonder just how crowded New York’s venues are).
Nevertheless, the city’s music scene placed it ahead of other big music hubs like San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia. But it’s not really all about winning, is it?
Go out tonight, and any night. Jukely is a concert subscription that gives members guestlist access to hundreds of music events – for one price. Whenever you want to go out, you’ll always have something to do. Learn more and sign up at jukely.com.
