Kate Nash, Shirley Manson, Danny Dyer, Lambrini Girls, Edgar Wright join call for music fans to have their say in shaping the future of live music

Kate Nash, Shirley Manson, Danny Dyer, Lambrini Girls, Edgar Wright and more have urged fans to take part in the first-ever Music Fans’ Voice survey.

• READ MORE: 2025 could be a game-changer for funding UK grassroots music – but when will we see action and where will the money go?

The new survey will give fans and live music lovers the opportunity to vocalise their thoughts and help inform decision-making in government, the music industry and city regions around the UK on how to support live music.

The new 15-minute study is live now and can be completed here. Commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Mayor of London, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Cardiff City Council, Belfast City Council and Glasgow City of Music, the survey is intended to “give fans a data driven seat at the table”.

Nash – who recently launched her ‘Butts For Tour Buses’ campaign which saw her join OnlyFans to protest the music industry and help raise money for her UK and European tour – voiced her support for the survey and shared: “The invisible thread that exists between fan and artist is the closest thing to magic I’ve ever felt.”

“They’re often at the venue before we are, they wave and watch us leave as we drive onto the next one and they’re usually the first people to ask how they can help you,” she continued. “Quite obviously they are an integral part of what we do as artists and I feel very passionately about music fans being involved in what the future of my industry looks like.”

Lambrini Girls frontwoman Phoebe Lunny also expressed her support, saying: “Artists rely more on fans than fans do on artists. That connection is everything. Touring can feel isolating – long hotel stays, endless van rides, and time away from loved ones. Shows provide a small window for connection.

“Meeting fans, hearing their stories, and sharing values creates a sense of community that the industry often lacks. Not only do we owe our growth to our fans, but also a source of support that really does actually stop me from going mad sometimes. Despite the how transactional the music industry is, that is something you just can’t buy.”

Shirley Manson – vocalist of Garbage – urged fans to complete the survey. “When Kate Nash calls for a survey to help analyse how we can restructure the live music industry, we would all be well advised to listen to her. Kate is doing the work of international governments who are sleeping on the job and leaving working musicians up a creek without support and without a paddle.”

Figures within film and television have also vocalised their support for the Music Fans’ Voice survey. Director Edgar Wright (Shawn Of The Dead, Baby Driver, Last Night In Soho) shared: “Music is an essential part of my life; not just work and play, it’s the heartbeat that keeps me alive. And live music flows through our communities, touching all aspects of our lives, inspiring, challenging and connecting us all.

“As a film director and a fan I can’t imagine my life without live music. This survey is a landmark opportunity for fans to take a data driven seat at the table and it’s vital that we fill out this survey, so our voices can be a critical part of the future of the spaces and places we love so much.”

Actor Danny Dyer said: “We are living in an age of hate, but this is a time where people need to come together. So, we need you to do this survey, click on the link, it’s important, data is important, it makes people listen, let’s start owning it again. Live music’s important, it’s ingrained in our soul, click the link, I love yous, let’s fucking own music again.”

The survey comes as the UK government recently backed the call for a ticket levy on arena gigs and above to feed the grassroots, with small venues in a perilous situation and artists struggling more than ever to make ends meet with the odds stacked against them.

A deadline has since been set for March for the music industry to react in a meaningful way to the levy, before the government will be forced to step in and act.

“You don’t get big venue success tours without small venue innovation and creativity,” Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP previously told NME. “We’re the first government that have made it very clear that we support the calls for a voluntary levy. If there isn’t a voluntary levy in short order, then we will take action. That would mean a statutory levy which would take time, so I’d much prefer a voluntary levy. I’m quite hopeful that we’ll have something in place soon, and I’m working quite hard on it.

“There’s nothing more special than going to a big arena show of an act that you first saw in a tiny, tiny venue. If you don’t have any tiny venues, then you’re never going to have the British success stories that the industry depends on.”

Previously speaking to NME, Nash shared: “We need the government’s help, and we need it now. Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, has actually been amazing speaking to Live Nation and has been talking a lot about music in Parliament. Last month, she said to the music industry: ‘If you don’t do something, we’re going to be forced to act’.

“Not just on the live side of things, we need her help with recorded music and I think Lisa Nandy is potentially going to be the most important person to the music industry for decades. She has the opportunity to be the hero.”

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