Bandsintown and NIVA Are Going Bigger for Independent Live Music
Bandsintown & NIVA announce two new initiatives at NIVA '26 –– Live Independent Month and The Live Pulse survey –– building on a program that’s already delivered 2 billion event recommendations and 60 million fan clicks to buy tickets for shows at independent venues.
Independent venues are where scenes are built, artists find their footing, and communities come together. That’s been the foundation of Bandsintown’s partnership with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) –– and today, we’re taking it further.
At the NIVA ‘26 Opening Session in Minneapolis, Bandsintown Co-Founder & Managing Partner Fabrice Sergent and NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker announced two new initiatives designed to put independent venues, festivals, and promoters at the center of the conversation.
Live Independent Month: A Nationwide Celebration, Coming Summer 2027
Together with NIVA and the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF), Bandsintown is launching Live Independent Month –– a month-long celebration debuting in Summer 2027 that invites fans inside the spaces that make live music possible.
For an entire month, independent venues across the country will open their doors beyond the stage: green room access, behind-the-scenes tours, conversations with the owners and operators who keep the lights on. The goal is to give audiences a closer look at the venues and people shaping live music from the ground up.
Live Pulse Survey: Monthly Data for an Industry That Runs on Gut
The independent live music industry moves fast and makes decisions with limited data. The Live Pulse Survey is designed to change that.
The survey will create one of the first consistent nationwide snapshots of how independent live entertainment businesses are actually doing. Participating venues, promoters, and festivals fill out an anonymous monthly survey. The results feed an open dataset tracking trends across the sector. Industry leaders, journalists, and policymakers get better information. Venues get visibility into where the industry stands.
The results are already in from the first survey and were revealed during the opening session of the NIVA conference.
What This Builds On
These announcements mark a new chapter, but the foundation is already proven. Since the Live Independent badge program launched 20 months ago, Bandsintown and NIVA have delivered more than 2 billion targeted event recommendations to fans –– at no cost to member venues. Those recommendations have driven nearly 60 million clicks to buy tickets and 2.8 million RSVPs for shows at independent venues in the US.
Independent live music runs on community – the fans who show up, and venues that keep the doors open. Here’s how to be part of it:
Fans: find and support certified independent venues near you using Bandsintown’s Live Independent portal.
Independent Venues, Promoters, Festivals: look out for the next Live Pulse Survey in your email, stay tuned for more info on Independent Venue Month 2027, and take advantage of Bandsintown Pro perks available to NIVA members.