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A new report from the National Independent Venue Association shows that independent, live entertainment brings billions to Florida. 

But slim profits and rising costs for independent venue owners have some worried about their future. 

Tom DeGeorge is the Southeast Regional Chapter President of the National Independent Venue Association.

He also owns Crowbar, an independent small concert venue in Ybor City. 

He said low profitability will force Crowbar to shut down when its lease ends next August, their 20th anniversary. 

“It would be nice to be able to stay, but we haven’t been profitable. You know, we haven’t been profitable,” DeGeorge told WMNF.

<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom DeGeorge, co-owner and president of Crowbar // Credit: Tom DeGeorge </figcaption></figure>

And it’s a pattern statewide. 

A report from the National Independent Venue Association shows that only 35 percent of independent stages in Florida were profitable last year, and 64 percent are struggling nationwide. 

That’s despite almost producing 8 billion in total economic value and 421 million in annual state and local tax revenue in Florida. 

At Crowbar, DeGeorge said concertgoers don’t only spend their money at his venue. 

“What they also do is, they come a little bit early. They go to the local restaurant, they hit a pub before or after,” DeGeorge said.

DeGeorge points to rising costs, ticket resellers, monopolies, and gentrification as reasons for the slim margins. 

Currently, Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, is facing a lawsuit for monopolizing ticketing services.

He said small venues are a launchpad for artists that go on to fill bigger venues. 

“You can look up interviews from Billy Joel to Bruce Springsteen to Taylor Swift to Pearl Jam and all those people will tell you that they would have never made it to the arena level if they didnt play the small rock clubs, and get themselves out there.” DeGeorge said.

DeGeorge said he often hears from performers that there’s nothing like performing at an independent venue. 

“Those people that own those independent rooms are doing it sheerly for the love of it – and I’ll be as independent as I can until my last breath,” DeGeorge said.

The post Independent live music venues are struggling in Florida and beyond, report shows appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.