Cancellations and displacement of Black music events cost London up to £141m a year, report says
Black Lives in Music's two-year investigation puts the annual cost to London of barriers facing Black and south Asian music events at £127m to £141m. The study, commissioned by the mayor's office, also faults unverified police intelligence in licensing.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
Key figures from the REMEL report: projected losses exceeding £650m over five years; an annual cost to London of £127m to £141m; and 19 recommendations set out by the report.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projected losses over five years, exceeding | £650m | 2 | |
| Annual cost to London, at least | £127m a year | up to £141m a year, report estimate | 1 |
| Recommendations | 19 in the report | 5 |
What happened
- The report projects losses of more than £650m over five years if the pattern continues.
- Afrobeats, drill and dancehall are routinely labelled high risk without credible evidence, the report found, while indie, pop and rock events face comparatively little scrutiny.
- Promoters described events cancelled on undisclosed information, online searches or incidents unrelated to them.
- The report makes 19 recommendations, including an independent review, clearer evidence standards and stronger accountability.
Why it matters
- cost A venue that wins its challenge still pays: the Colour Factory's owner overturned a licence suspension and absorbed legal costs and staff redundancies.
- precedent Form 696 ran for 12 years before it was scrapped in 2017. The report suggests its legacy, and the scrutiny that came with it, has persisted since.
- exposure The estimate covers London only. Beaumont says the problems are nationwide. Other licensing areas may carry the same exposure with no figure attached.
- decision The mayor's office commissioned the study, and the report recommends an independent review. Whether to back or decline that review is the first decision the office faces.
The headline range is an estimate, and the Guardian's account does not say how it was built or how the Metropolitan Police responded to it. One check is possible from the figures given. The report's projection of more than £650m over five years [2] works out at £130m a year [16]. That sits inside the £127m to £141m annual range [1].
The study's participants matter to how its findings land. The Greater London Authority, the Metropolitan Police, UK Music, LIVE and the Musicians' Union all collaborated, alongside promoters, artists, venue operators and community representatives [6]. In our view that makes the findings harder to dismiss as an outsider's accusation. The concern about unverified police intelligence [4] is a finding from a project the police took part in.
The recommendations on evidence standards and reporting of outcomes [5] depend on there being a record to measure. Hakeem Stevens, the report's lead researcher, said police scrutiny had become harder to document [8]. "Back in the day when emails were sent and faxes were sent, we had documented evidence. Now what's happening is it's whispers, it's phone calls, it's conversations, verbal conversations that can't be recorded," he said [9]. Researchers found that promoters already received little explanation for cancellations and had limited opportunities to challenge decisions [10].
Part of the estimate is displacement and events that never took place [1]. Those losses are hard to observe directly. Kwame Otiende, who owns a venue, promotes events and sits as a Green councillor, said the added scrutiny made venues reluctant to host some kinds of event [13]. A venue can avoid the friction by changing the bill. "I could just put your very sort of middle-of-the-road chart music ... and I'll still make the same amount of money," he said [14]. The report's call for better reporting of licensing outcomes [5] is the recommendation that would let anyone count such losses.
Charisse Beaumont, chief executive of Black Lives in Music, described a longer-run effect on artists. "They've got an album out, they do a tour, they might be able to do a 1,000-capacity venue, but can they progress from 2,000 to 5,000 to 20,000 to stadium? That doesn't happen for us," she said [15].
What to watch
- Whether the mayor's office or the Metropolitan Police publicly accepts the recommended independent review of licensing decisions.
- Whether licensing outcomes start being reported, which would give the first countable data to test the £127m to £141m range.
- Whether promoters or licensing bodies outside London produce their own evidence on cancellations and restrictions.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence50
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap
- Insufficient
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) report, led by Black Lives in Music, estimates that cancellations, displacement and events prevented from taking place cost London £127m to £141m annually.
- [2]
The REMEL report projects losses exceeding £650m over five years.
- [3]
The report found that genres including Afrobeats, drill and dancehall are routinely labelled 'high risk' despite a lack of credible evidence, while indie, pop and rock events face comparatively little scrutiny.
- [4]
The research raised concerns over the use of unverified police intelligence, with promoters describing events being cancelled based on undisclosed information, online searches or unrelated incidents.
- [5]
The report sets out 19 recommendations, including calls for more transparent, evidence-based licensing decisions, an independent review, clearer evidence standards, better reporting of licensing outcomes and stronger accountability.
- [6]
The two-year study was commissioned by the mayor's office and included collaboration by the Greater London Authority, the Metropolitan Police Service, UK Music, LIVE, the Musicians' Union and a wide network of promoters, artists, venue operators and community representatives.
- [7]
The findings suggest the legacy of the Metropolitan Police's Form 696 persists; introduced in 2005 as a risk assessment tool, it was scrapped in 2017 after criticism that it discriminated against black music events.
- [8]
Hakeem Stevens, the report's lead researcher, said police scrutiny had become harder to document.
- [9]
Stevens said: 'Back in the day when emails were sent and faxes were sent, we had documented evidence. Now what's happening is it's whispers, it's phone calls, it's conversations, verbal conversations that can't be recorded.'
- [10]
Researchers found that promoters received little explanation for cancellations, faced substantial security costs and had limited opportunities to challenge decisions.
- [11]
The Colour Factory, a black-owned venue, had its licence suspended after an incident outside its premises that was reportedly unrelated to the venue; the owner successfully challenged the decision but faced significant financial losses, including legal costs and staff redundancies.
- [12]
Charisse Beaumont, chief executive of Black Lives in Music, said that although the investigation focused on London, the problems it uncovered exist nationwide.
- [13]
Kwame Otiende, a venue owner, promoter and Green councillor, said the additional scrutiny discouraged venues from hosting certain events.
- [14]
Otiende said: 'I could just put your very sort of middle-of-the-road chart music ... and I'll still make the same amount of money.'
- [15]
Beaumont said: 'They've got an album out, they do a tour, they might be able to do a 1,000-capacity venue, but can they progress from 2,000 to 5,000 to 20,000 to stadium? That doesn't happen for us.'
- [16]
A five-year projection of more than £650m averages more than £130m a year, which falls inside the £127m to £141m annual range.
- [17]
Form 696 was in place for 12 years, from 2005 to 2017.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- theguardian.comBarriers facing black and south Asian music events ‘cost London up to £141m a year’
1 article · October 13, 2026
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