Business Daily BBC Podcasts

Elton John, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran - all artists who've had sell-out world tours in recent years.
And new markets, such as India, are being added to the global tour map.

But the same can’t be said for smaller venues. In the UK and Australia, the lights are off, and thousands are closing their doors.

We hear from musicians, promoters and the people who run venues; asking why there’s such a contrast between sell out stadium tours and struggling grassroots venues.
And we see what the future could hold for India's live music scene.

Produced and presented by Megan Lawton
(Image: Ed Sheeran performing in Mumbai, India in 2017. Credit: Getty Images)

Ed Butler travels to Kosovo to find out what the prospects are for this young, ethnically divided population.
After Ukraine, it's Europe's poorest region, where a brutal past still casts a shadow.
But it's also a territory full of economic promise – with precious minerals buried underground, and vast vineyards. If only the politics would stop getting in the way.
(Image: A wine maker in Kosovo, Milan Lakicevic, standing in front of stainless steel tanks, while holding a bottle of his wine.)
Presented and produced by Ed Butler

Meet Sharvari, Belinda and Brenna, three female bike mechanics from different corners of the world. From setting up a female run workshop in India, teaching skills to other women, or working within elite sport: these three are all making a living in the male dominated world of bike mechanics. Hear their stories and find out what happened when we got them all talking to each other.
Presenter/producer: Lexy O'Connor
(Photo: Bicycle mechanic Belinda Everett, Credit: Ryan Goff, #rygoff)

Over its long history women have been mostly excluded from the Tour de France. Until recently.
In 2022, after a long campaign by some of female cycling's biggest names, the Tour de France Femmes was introduced. So how is it doing? And will it ever be on a level footing with the much older and long-established men's race?
We hear from competitors, sponsors, broadcasters and race director Marion Rousse.
Produced and presented by Lexy O'Connor
(Team Jumbo Visma rider Marianne Vos wears the yellow jersey during 3rd stage of the first Tour de France Femmes in 2022: Getty Images)

The 'pink pound' or 'pink dollar' is believed to be worth billions of dollars, and tourism is one sector looking to benefit. We find out how the industry is trying to attract LGBT travellers, with countries like Nepal taking steps to be a more appealing destination.
Plus, we head to the coastal town of Sitges in Spain, where gay people have been holidaying for more than 100 years.
Producer/presenter: Daniel Rosney
(Photo: The Nomadic Boys in New Zealand. Credit: The Nomadic Boys)

Ireland has just launched a scheme to charge a deposit on bottles and cans which is refunded when consumers return them to recycling machines in supermarkets.
The Irish have set up a non profit making company to manage the scheme, funded by the drinks making firms, which should avoid the financial problems that have dogged the industry in the United States.
Many privately owned American recycling companies are in danger of going out of business because the fee they get from state governments, under the Bottle Bill, has not been increased for years, even though their costs have soared.
Produced and presented by Russell Padmore
(Picture: Reverse vending machines for Ireland’s new deposit return recycling scheme)