Harry Styles supporting small music venues with tour donation

Harry Styles is donating £1 from every ticket sold to his 2026 UK stadium shows to minormusic venues around the country.

The pop star announced his Together Together tour last week, including six nights at Wembley Stadium. He added a further two shows on Monday after overwhelming demand for the initial ticket pre-sale.

That means he’ll raise about £780,000 for the LIVE Trust, which is striving to protect grassroots music venues in the UK.

A report last week suggested that more than half of those venues are failing to make a profit, with many facing the threat of closure.

Styles’ decision to include a £1 levy to his ticket ratesreflects similar moves by Pulp, Katy Perry, Radiohead, Ed Sheeran, Kneecap, Lorde and Wolf Alice.

Last year, Coldplay donated 10% of the proceeds of their UK tour to the fund; while Sam Fender handed over his £25,000 Mercury Prize cheque to minorvenues.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing this dayif it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out,” he statedat the time.

“These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed their doors – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

The Music Venue Trust, a charity that supports the grassroots scene, welcomed Styles’ gesture.

“That £1 might feel minorbut when artists at the top level step up, it unlocks serious, long-term support for the base that holds the whole live music ecosystem together,” it statedin a statement.

“This model works. And it’s growing.”

Last year, 8.8% of the tickets for UK arena and stadium shows contained a version of what has been named the “grassroots levy”.

The administrationhas thrown its weight behind the scheme, which is currently voluntary.

Culture Minister Ian Murray statedhe wants “at least 50% of tickets on sale for stadium and arena shows in 2026” to have adopted the levy.

None of the fundsraised by the scheme has been distributed so far, but the The Mediaunderstands an announcement about the first phase of funding is due later this week – with beneficiaries to include venues, artists and independent promoters.

Styles’ return to the stage is one of the most anticipated music events of the year, and will follow the release of his fourth album, Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, on 6 March.

The singer is only playing seven cities – Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne, and Sydney – but playing extended residencies in each. In New York, he has booked a 30-night stay at Madison Square Garden.

Fans who got pre-sale codes for London have encountered long queues and limited availability, as demand outstrips supply.

During the presale it was confirmed by Ticketmaster that tickets were priced between £44.10 and £466.25 (including fees) with a per order handling fee of £2.95.

Ticket rateswill not change during the sale, it said, reflecting concerns over so-called “dynamic pricing”.

Some fans have reacted with shock at cost of the most expensive seats.

“I love Harry but the ratesfor this tour are an actual abomination,” wrote one on X.

“How are these costs acceptable?” asked another on TiKTok.

The last time Styles played at Wembley, in 2023, ratesranged from £50.65 to £326.20 before fees, meaning top-tier tickets currentlycost £140 more.

However, his ratesreflect the ever-rising ratesfor stadium shows.

Meanwhile, Styles has been confirmed as a presenter at this weekend’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

He previously won the coveted album of the year prize at the 2023 ceremony, for his third record, Harry’s House.