
Attitude is Everything has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of Deaf and disabled fans attending live music events in the UK - highlighting many of the positive changes that promoters and venue owners are taking to attract disabled audiences.
Collating ticketing sales from festivals and venues signed to its Charter of Best Practice, the charity found that almost 114,000 disabled tickets were sold in 2014, compared to 67,000 in 2013 - an increase of 70%.
The direct economic impact of these sales is an estimated £5.4m.
The Charter of Best Practice enables music businesses to make an ongoing commitment to improving accessibility, and encourages signatories to go beyond the legal obligations of the Equality Act. More than 100 festivals and venues have now signed the Charter, from large-scale events and arenas, including Glastonbury, Latitude, Download, Reading/Leeds and The O2 through to the 14 mid-sized venues owned by Academy Music Group and a diverse range of smaller clubs and student union halls.
According to Attitude is Everything founder, Suzanne Bull MBE, the figures offer compelling evidence of how the music industry is waking up to the demand for improved access, and how forward-thinking businesses can reap the benefits.
‘It is heartening to see such a strong correlation between the venues and festivals who embrace our Charter of Best Practice and the numbers of disabled customers coming through their doors. It also sends out a strong message to the wider music and entertainment industry: there are potentially millions of disabled customers wanting to attend your events and, if you improve access, then they will come. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be difficult. As impressive as these numbers are, they only represent the tip of the iceberg.’
This year also marks Attitude is Everything's 15th anniversary.
For more information contact: Adam Webb on T: 07947 062360 or E: adjwebb@btinternet.com or go to http://bit.ly/1IJn9yS;
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