When I was in high school, I went to a ton of shows at small music venues in and around Ithaca, NY. My favorite place was called The Haunt which was an established stop for emerging artists on the northeast collegetown circuit. It had a small black hanging sign of a witch’s cauldron and was located at the end of dingy alley. You had to know it was there or you would miss it.
On one Saturday night per month, the Haunt’s booking agent Elliot Martin (and later the lead singer for John Brown’s Body) would let two or three high school bands play play short sets early in the evening before he should have to clear out all of the kids before reopenning for the late night 21+ show. The first time I went to one of these high school shows as a bright eyed high school freshman, I was amazed at other high school kids could form bands, play excellent original music, and be up on real stage where hundreds of other artists, some now famous, had played before them. These kids were so f’ing cool and I wanted in.
By my junior year, I had learned to play guitar and formed a band called Phyllus with my buddies. We had put together enough songs for a short set and we asked on of the more established high school bands, the Sour Lemmings, if we could open for them. I still remember being allowed to go into the tiny green room during our sound check. There was a wall where all of the bands who had play had signed their names. I examined it for a long time both looking for well known artists who had played there long before my time as well as more recent artists I had seen play there myself. I didn’t realized it at the time, but the contiumum of these artists and their live shows had provided a space for me and many future musicians to play music.
The Haunt is Gone
A few months ago, I was reading an article in the Ithaca Voice about how social media and music streaming services have (negatively) impacted my local music scene. In one section, the author Austin Lamb enumerated a list of small music venues which have closed in the last 10 years: the Haunt, the Nines, the Rongovian Embassy, The Range, and the Chapter House. I was saddened each time one of these venues closed their doors, but taken together, it is crushing to see how our once strong music scene wasx dying out.
And just the other day, I heard a rumor that last remaining small music venue in Ithaca, Deep Dive, might be closing as well. In the article above, Lamb points out that Deep Dive has been losing money due to declining ticket and alcohol sales. What is sad about this is that owner T.J. Schaper explicitly created Deep Dive to be a place where young people could learn how to play music: “It’s not just a 21 plus bar for people to go get drinks, it’s a place for young people to learn. We include educational components where we can, younger musicians have the opportunity to perform with and learn from more experienced musicians and experiment with different kinds of music.” [quote from 607NewsNow].
I can speak to this first hand since Deep Dive is where my son played on a real stage for the first time as part of “Creekstock”, a fund raiser for his elementary school parent-teacher association, when he was in 3rd grade (humble brag). Deep Dive has donated their space to this event for the past few years and many of the parents work, volunteer, and play shows there. If Deep Dive closes, I suppose we will have to play Creekstock in the lame school gym with a terrible sound system, bad lighting, and no bar for the parents.
Young People Don’t Go To Shows at Small Venues
There’s strong evidence that young people (especially Gen Z) are going to fewer small-venue music shows than previous generations, even though overall live music spending is at record highs. Here are some of the reasons why:
Post-pandemic hesitation
- Surveys show higher social anxiety about crowded spaces among young adults, reducing casual show attendance. [1, 2] Some students and early-career workers also reported that COVID disrupted the habit of “just going out to see a band,” and they never fully rebuilt it.
Shifts in Music Discovery
- In the past, small venues were central to finding new music. Now, discovery happens on TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. This creates fewer incentives to “take a chance” on a local or unknown band.
Economic barriers
- Rising ticket prices, drink costs, and transportation expenses are major obstacles for younger fans with limited disposable income. A grassroots UK report (Music Venue Trust, 2024) noted that 38% of small venues were operating at a loss partly because young audiences were priced out.
- Platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok Live, and Fortnite concerts provide low-cost, accessible alternatives to live shows.
Competition for attention
- Young people often prioritize big arena or festival experiences (Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, EDM mega-events) over small-venue shows. (NVIA, 2025)
Why it matters
Small venues are where most artists get their start, and without steady young audiences, the pipeline from small music venues → mid-size theaters → big tours is under threat. Industry leaders warn that the imbalance could make it harder for the next generation of musicians to break through (see MIDiA article). It gives fans fewer opportunities to discover new artists in an intimate setting and could lead to experiences becoming less diverse and more tied to what’s commercially viable at the arena/festival level.
From community perspective, it’s the loss small music venues means the loss of inclusive gathering places that bring people together across different backgrounds, reducing social cohesion and shared cultural life. Economically, small venues generate revenue for nearby businesses like restaurants and bars, and feed demand for music stores, recording studios, and music lessons. They also provide essential training grounds for young musicians, sound engineers, and promoters, meaning fewer career pathways in the arts.
I worry about the gradual fading of local music scenes—the small clubs and crowded basements where blues, rock, ska, grunge, and indie once thrived. Sometimes I imagine a future where my grandkids see an electric guitar in a museum and ask what it was, how it sounded, and why people played it. I don’t want live bands to survive only as relics, sustained by grants and cultural programs. Music was meant to feel alive in the moment—to leave your ears ringing, your heart racing, and to give you stories to tell the next day. We need to make sure that spirit continues.
What we are doing about it
Localify.org is our attempt to combat this problem. We want to get young people into the habit of going to see live show at small venues. By highlighting local artists and upcoming events, we aim to make it easier—and less risky—for people to take a chance on finding a new venue or discovering new artist.
We’re here to remind people that amazing artists are performing right in our neighborhoods, and that you don’t need a stadium seat with a massive price tag to feel the power of live music. These shows are where communities come alive, where new sounds are created and discovered, and where culture is built from the ground up.
Please help spread the word about Localify so that we can help local music scenes grow and thrive. Tell a friend or post something on social media. And please let us know if you like what we are doing and/or have any suggestions. Thanks in advance.
All the best,
Doug