Every figure POWK shows traces back to a recognised, published source - not an invented number. Our approach is grounded in HM Treasury’s Green Book and Magenta Book guidance on appraisal and evaluation, the UK Social Value Bank’s wellbeing data, DCMS’s Culture and Heritage Capital research, and ONS economic data. We only count what wouldn’t have happened anyway, apply a conservative adjustment for uncertainty, and always show a range rather than a single exact figure.
Everyone says music matters - to a high street, to wellbeing, to a community’s identity - but that claim is rarely backed by evidence anyone can actually point to. POWK exists to close that gap: giving every artist, venue and council a real, defensible number for the cultural and economic value they create.
POWK Artist Social Value Estimate - Grounded in recognised social-value principles; proprietary in its calculation.
The POWK Artist Social Value Estimate is an indicative measure of the value represented by an artist's current audience reach and engagement - not their earnings, a booking fee or a commercial valuation.
It's calculated using a proprietary POWK model, informed by recognised UK social-value principles (proportionality, evidence, transparency, and avoiding overclaiming). Conservative adjustments are applied for uncertainty, so the figure is always shown as a range with a confidence rating rather than a single exact number.
Where there isn’t enough audience data on file, we show “Insufficient audience data” rather than a misleading figure.
Every venue starts with an Indicative Snapshot - an automatic baseline modelled from what we already know (capacity, venue type, location), with no action needed. Because it’s modelled rather than confirmed, it’s shown as a range rather than one exact figure - a fair estimate of scale, not a precise number. From there, a venue can improve its own score and confidence by telling us more:
Automatic, directory-based baseline. A range, not a single figure.
The venue's own real events, attendance and spend figures - a genuine, published report.
Adds cultural participation, artist development, community wellbeing and place value on top.
Confirming and validating a venue’s own record is quick, and it’s the only way to move from an estimate to a real, defensible figure.
Every figure carries a confidence label and, where relevant, a range rather than a single number - a modelled estimate, not a statutory audit or government endorsement. See the full data source list for exactly where the inputs come from.