UK city beats NYC and LA to claim world live music hotspot title

The 10 best cities for music lovers

SeatPick can reveal that London is the world’s best music hotspot, with a score of 9.3 out of 10. The British capital fares highly on the number of concerts, vinyl record stores and the number of artists/bands originating from the city. 1,906 live concerts are planned within the next year, including Taylor Swift’s five-night run at Wembley Stadium. Other iconic London venues include the O2 arena, Royal Albert Hall and Alexandra Palace.

2,850 bands and artists were born here, including Adele, Amy Winehouse and the legendary Rolling Stones, second only to New York, which gave birth to over 3,000 artists.

In second place is Los Angeles, scoring 9.14 out of 10. LA scores higher than London on the number of music venues and instrument stores, with venues such as the Staples Center and the Hollywood attracting the biggest names in music to its stages. Unforgettable bands such as Guns’N’Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine all originated from the City of Angels.

In third place is Chicago, Illinois, scoring 8.9 out of 10. The Windy City, known for their Deep Dish Pizza is also known for producing musical acts such as Earth, Wind and Fire and Fall Out Boy. It has 151 music venues – the highest number of music venues across the world, such as Lincoln Hall and the United Center, for fans of bigger artists. Chicago has the most scheduled music festivals in the US (11) fans should visit for their annual Lollapalooza and Chicago Jazz Festivals.

In fourth place is New York City, scoring 8.87 out of 10. The Big Apple has 124 music venues, partly due to being the home of Broadway, but it is also the home of the legendary Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theater. Most artists and bands across the world come from New York, from pop superstar Lady Gaga to rapper Jay-Z and Billy Joel.

In the fifth spot is Nashville, known as the birthplace of Country Music. Fans of live music can visit the iconic Bluebird Cafe, known for jumpstarting the careers of the likes of Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks.

Featured Photo by Marcin Nowak on Unsplash.