Last year was a banner year for live events, with grosses from the top 100 tours up 53% from 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. In March, Billboard and Luminate collaborated to dig deeper, and published The Shared Impact of Touring and Streaming.
On Wednesday (Sept. 25), Billboard reconnected with Luminate’s Jaime Lefkowitz (Director of Strategic Partnerships), Jaime Marconette (VP Music Insights and Industry Relations) and Grant Gregory (Research Manager) to discuss the state of the touring industry, giving context to these ever-growing grosses.
In a half-hour webinar – Live Music Landscape: Current Insights & Trends, which this writer participated in as a panelist – the conversation considered the record-setting growth in the touring industry over the last few years, and what challenges and opportunities have arisen or may arise as we move further away from the post-COVID return.
According to Billboard’s year-in-touring report, 2023’s top 100 tours saw the highest reported total gross ($7.5 billion), total attendance (63 million tickets), and average ticket price ($118.64) in Boxscore history. But with dynamic pricing, platinum ticketing and primary market re-sale compounding one another, industry experts must work in real time to evaluate consumer demand and anticipate future purchasing intent. Much has been made of the increasingly difficult environment on the road, with hiked-up costs, supply shortages, and competitive calendars.
And so: Who is buying? What do younger consumers want to see? How can streaming data impact touring schedules?
For those of you who missed the webinar, read below for five major takeaways from the discussion.
