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 small music 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 prices reflects 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 small venues.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out,” he said at 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 small but 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 said in 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 government has thrown its weight behind the scheme, which is currently voluntary.

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

None of the money raised by the scheme has been distributed to venues so far, but the BBC understands an announcement about the first phase of funding is due later this week.

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 prices will 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 prices for 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, prices ranged from £50.65 to £326.20 before fees, meaning top-tier tickets now cost £140 more.

However, his prices reflect the ever-rising prices for 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.