On a recent Friday night, dozens of twenty-somethings flocked to Sidecar, a famous concert venue in downtown Barcelona.
The small space with its low vaulted ceiling was only half-filled, but on stage, singer Inigo Merino and his band were determined to give the audience a good time. The crowd sang along to catchy Merino pop songs that were peppered with anecdotes, jokes and personal stories.
“Music used to be just a hobby, but when I wrote this song, I was like, ‘Why don’t we give it a chance? It could be something beautiful,” he told the crowd, who erupted in cheers of “Bravo!” Then he set out on “El Último Portazo” (“The Last Door Slam”).
Barcelona is world-renowned for its nightlife, with major festivals such as Primavera Sound and Sonar, which start on Thursday and run until Saturday, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. But small and medium-sized concert venues are struggling.
The Catalan Concert Venues Association, an industry group, estimates that 220 nightlife venues have closed in Barcelona and the surrounding metropolitan area over the past two decades. In a city of 1.6 million people, the estimated total capacity of its 198 music venues is less than 50,000, the venue association said.
And local musicians say they are running out of places to perform.
The number of tourists visiting Barcelona has skyrocketed over the past two decades, resulting in complaints from residents about noise and overcrowding. Under left-wing mayor Ada Kolau, the city has prioritized the quality of life for locals and limited the number of tourism-related businesses, including nightlife venues, that can operate in many parts of town.
“The city has not issued permits to build new concert venues, and existing concert venues are under threat and disappearing,” said Carmen Zapata, manager of the association of venues. “In Barcelona he has four music schools and many musicians graduate each year, so small and medium venues are needed to absorb this whole scene.”
The climate and beaches make the city a popular venue for music festivals. Last summer, five big festivals were held in the city. These events, attended by more than 800,000 people, were funded by the City Hall and the Catalan government. Such festivals can pay artists much higher fees and demand regional exclusivity, and in some cases even Spanish artists.
“Spain didn’t have a culture of concert venues like other countries, but now it’s a country of festivals and big festivals,” says Coque, who runs the non-profit music venue Freedonia in Raval. Sanchez says. “We also know that some artists are now playing festivals directly from Spotify, bypassing the concert venue.”
The sidecar at the concert venue 40th birthday this year It’s beloved by locals for programming mainly indie rock bands from Spain and Catalonia. But like many other live venues in Barcelona, it also hosts club nights with DJs rather than bands to survive. Fatima Merad, who oversees production and programming at Sidecar, said hosting concerts is not a sustainable business model.
“We are passionate about live music, but no one does this to make big bucks,” Merad said.
Since 1995, the Heliogabal venue in Gràcia has been booking emerging bands. Artists who have played in a small corner of the bar include Barcelona singer Rosalía, who later became a global pop sensation. She performed at Heliogabal in 2015, two years before releasing her debut album.
“We like this small format, so we never wanted to grow,” said owner Albert Pijuan. “It’s a completely different experience. It’s so close you get goosebumps.”
Despite being popular for more than two decades, the venue nearly closed in 2016 after being fined a hefty fine for holding concerts without a permit. It survived thanks to a city hall initiative called Espice Cultura Viva (Live Culture Spaces) is a new classification of venues that makes it legal for existing bars, restaurants, bookstores and other small venues to host live music performances. But only if it is until midnight and meets a set of requirements, including soundproofing.
“The aim is to legalize these establishments that provide cultural services,” said Daniel Granados, the city’s cultural officer. He said about 25 facilities have registered since the program was introduced in 2019.
Pihuan said he invested hundreds of thousands of euros in soundproofing and other renovations at Heliogabal, about half of which was financed by subsidies from the city and local governments. The venue also has commercial sponsorships that have allowed it to remain operational, and it has begun to host daytime concerts during the traditional ‘vermut’ time, the traditional pre-lunch aperitif. But these measures are not enough to secure the venue’s future, he said. “After 28 years of showing that our project is attractive, I don’t understand why it is still struggling,” he said.
Phihuan said he felt venues like him should be more valued and supported by the government because he has supported the careers of many local musicians. “When Posidonia disappears, there is no life, the sea is dead,” he said, referring to the Mediterranean seagrass that grows and protects off the coast of Catalonia. “Smaller venues play this role in the music ecosystem.”
