Better Live Music

05/05/2026

𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞
After 2 years of experimentations in sustainable tours, if we look back at what project has brought, here's what we achieved:

→ 363 concerts organized in 18 countries
→ 64 tours completed
→ 223 artists involved
→ 239 venues reached
→ 1,248 artist / days across the whole project

Two years to prove that music can tour differently across Europe — without compromising artistic ambition or geographic reach. A huge thank you to all the artists, venues, and partners who made this happen.

And there’s more to come: our full publication and research findings will be released in the coming weeks. You better stay tuned!

13/04/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ― A few weeks ago, the 11 partners of the Better Live project convened in Dublin for a final gathering, marking the closing phase of three and a half years of European cooperation.

This milestone provided an opportunity to collectively assess the outcomes of the project : 𝟲𝟰 decarbonised tours, 𝟯𝟲𝟯 concerts and 𝟮𝟮𝟯 artists mobilised across Europe — and to contribute to the final report that will officially conclude the project.

Further communications will follow in the coming weeks.

― ― ―
Partners: INTL Jazz Platform (PL) · Périscope - Musiques Libres (FR) · Bimhuis (NL) · Nasjonal jazzscene (NO) · Plataforma Jazz España (ES) · Improvised Music Company (IR) · G Livelab Tampere (FI) · EMEE (BE) · Zavod Sploh (SI) · The Cluster (GR) · jazzahead! (DE)

Better Live Music is a project co-funded by Creative Europe, bringing together 11 partners from the jazz and improvised music scenes across Europe.

📷 Louis Scully (thanks!)

19/03/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 · A few days ago, Virgo Sillamaa, our research coordinator, was invited to A Greener Future Conference in London to present the findings of the Better Live Music project.

His talk highlighted a central challenge: how do we move from one-off fly-in shows to genuinely sustainable touring — using the Better Live project as a key example of testing and experimenting with these models.

At the core of the debate: the dilemmas facing policymakers:

→ Balancing the tension between regulation and enabling voluntary initiative
→ Standardised measurement vs. principles of action
→ The risk of « tinkering at the margins » when trading environmental sustainability off against economic viability
→ Common standards vs. sensitivity to local contexts

Ultimately, navigating these dilemmas will require building genuine expertise within governments and reprioritising the ecological transition as a long-term political priority — to mobilise both political and financial capital.

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Better Live brings together 11 European partners from the jazz and improvised music scenes in Europe.

For more information ➡️ betterlivemusic.com

26/01/2026

08/01/2026

📆 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 📆

"It’s more important than ever to keep imagining a Greener Future, especially given recent political and corporate backtracking on sustainability commitments."

Virgo Sillamaa will be representing Better Live Music during A Greener Future Conference in London on February 24th.

On behalf of EMEE (European Music Exporters Exchange), Virgo will share the results from the Better Live Music project, focusing on smarter and more sustainable touring, and exploring whether policy can keep up.

See you in London! 👋
ℹ️ More info: agreenerfuture.com/gei

05/01/2026

𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 📅

We are very glad to announce that the final tour of the Better Live project will take place in Ireland.

This January, 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘 will be touring across Ireland, with 4 concerts organized by our partners Improvised Music Company in Limerick, Cork, Mayo & Dublin !

These dates mark the end of our touring journey — but not the end of our commitment. Our work towards more sustainable and environmentally responsible live music continues: stay tuned!

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These tours are part of Better Live, a project co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. 🔗 More information: betterlivemusic.com

22/12/2025

✦ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀. ✦

See you in early 2026 for the final tour of the project and pursue our shared work towards more sustainable live music.

ℹ️ betterlivemusic.com

08/12/2025

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗥𝗘 𝟲 · No future without local – and it’s built in small and mid-sized venues!

A festival of 130,000 people means 800 hectolitres of beer swallowed… 👉 that’s 80,000 litres in just a few days.

An output impossible to reach for a local microbrewery, whose annual production is around 100 hectolitres, meaning roughly 10,000 litres per year.

In other words: one single festival consumes eight years of local production. Eight.

Our venues, spaces, and festivals don’t just defend artistic diversity and support for creation — they sustain a much wider ecosystem. Supporting them means strengthening an essential local and community-based economic network.

𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥.
Because choosing small and medium-sized concert venues means taking a stand!

📣 The advocacy awaits you in the bio!

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Better Live Music is a project co-funded by Europe Creative, bringing together 11 partners from the jazz and improvised music scenes in Europe.

Partners include: International Jazz Platform (PL) · Périscope - Musiques Libres (FR) · Bimhuis (NL) · Nasjonal jazzscene (NO) · Plataforma Jazz España (ES) · Improvised Music Company (IR) · G Livelab Tampere (FI) · EMEE (BE) · Zavod Sploh (SI) · The Cluster (GR) · jazzahead! (DE)

🎨 Artistic direction: Kiblind

04/12/2025

📍Smaller, local venues bring music closer to where people live, offering the most sustainable option for live music.

A diverse and geographically widespread ecosystem of venues is a central lever for reducing audience transport, which is the main source of carbon emissions in the live music sector.

This calls for increased support for small and medium venues, to ensure their resilience and actively shape a future for the European live music sector that aligns with the current environmental emergencies.

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📣 Live DMA and Better Live Music call for dedicated measures for the music sector in the next steps of the Culture Compass

Live music venues must be explicitly recognised as cultural spaces in European policy frameworks, and for this to be reflected when the Culture Compass is translated into concrete policies, regulations and funding schemes.

📸 © Dries Vanmierlo
Wit International Jazz Platform - Périscope - Musiques Libres - Bimhuis - Nasjonal jazzscene - G Livelab Tampere - Plataforma Jazz España - Improvised Music Company - EMEE · Zavod Sploh · The Cluster · jazzahead!

06/11/2025

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱 · Small size, big proximity!

We are made up of the places we love and the people we meet there.

While loneliness silently affects our era (one in two people feel lonely), our small-scale cultural venues create that little ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes all the difference: friendliness, human warmth and social connection.

All the local life bubbles and mixes together there. We meet friends, acquaintances and musicians at the counter, as well as the venue's team, who work hard to make every evening a collective memory.

You become part of the community. The same community that will meet up again at the next concert or show – tomorrow, in two weeks, or in six months.

𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥. Because supporting small and mid-sized venues is also making a political choice. The advocacy awaits you in bio! 🎨 Art direction by Kiblind
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With : International Jazz Platform (PL) · - Musiques Libres (FR) · Bimhuis (NL) · Nasjonal jazzscene (NO) · Plataforma Jazz España (ES) · Improvised Music Company (IR) · G Livelab Tampere (FI) · EMEE (BE) · Zavod Sploh (SI) · The Cluster (GR) · jazzahead! (DE)

Better Live is a project co-funded by the creative Europe Programme of the European Union