At first glance, the global touring industry seems to be doing well.
Live Nation, the largest concert promoter and ticketing company, reported earlier this month that it was having an amazing year. More than 100 million tickets have been sold for events in 2025 so far. Compare that with 2019, the last big year before COVID-19, when Live Nation had sales of 98 million tickets for the entire 12 months.
Economic slowdown? Tariff-related issues? Fan rebellions against the high cost of tickets? None of those dire predictions seems to be coming true. Live music is having a banner year!
Well, maybe for some.
Coachella didn’t sell out for the second year running, and of those who did go, more than half financed their ticket purchases.
Other festivals have been cancelled. According to tracker Music Festival Wizard, 44 events have disappeared from the global concert calendar so far this year. In the U.K., promoters shaken by the 72 festival cancellations last year are bracing for more problems. A few Australian festivals won’t be happening because of rising costs. Four-day general admission tickets for Lollapalooza sold out within an hour, although one- and two-day tickets as well as VIP passes are still available. Just this week, a festival company called Wannasee dropped more than 10 events across Britain. The company has gone under.
The current U.S. administration isn’t helping matters. After unilaterally raising the price of visas for foreign acts, there are all the stories of Homeland Security issues at the border. Who wants to risk setting up an expensive American tour when a border patrol agent can refuse you entry because… well, for any reason they choose. Something on your social media feed found on your phone that they don’t like? You’re not getting in. You might even be detained for some time before being deported.
If you’re a top-tier performer, you might be immune to such petty concerns, but even Beyoncé had trouble with her Cowboy Carter tour, with thousands of tickets unsold even as opening night approached. That April 28 date in Los Angeles struggled to sell the remaining 3,200 tickets. She even had to lower prices to fill seats in other markets, annoying fans who bought tickets early. Star power, it seems, isn’t always enough.
There are some bright spots — Lorde’s fall tour of North America and Europe has gone clean and all the tickets for the 2025 Oasis reunion disappeared last year — but those seem to be the exception. Many artists are choosing to stay home.
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According to How Music Charts, there was a steady decline in the number of artists on tour between 2022 and 2024.
Although not covered, it’s tempting to extrapolate those figures to include emerging artists. For them, costs have risen so much that many have scaled back their touring plans, while others have elected to stay home entirely. Transportation, accommodation, equipment rental, roadies — they’ve all gone up in price dramatically since COVID-19. Those who take the risk find that margins are exceedingly small and the difference between turning a slight profit and losing a lot might hinge on one or two poorly attended gigs.
Another issue is low ticket sales. Small acts often survive on ticket and merch sales while the venue makes its money at the bar. COVID-19 seems to created a shift where young people aren’t going out to see live music at a club the way previous generations did. And those who do go don’t drink nearly as much. I’ve had several conversations with bar and club owners over the last year about this.
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One hypothesis is that at least two cohorts of young concertgoers missed out on that coming-of-age period when they were finally allowed to see live music in an licensed establishment. Combine that with the cost of drinks, the availability of cheap and legal cannabis, and dating apps, and there are millions of young people who would rather stay in than go out.
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Bottom line? The entire global ecosystem is evolving to meet these new economic realities. And there are have been some developments.
Live Nation is a leader in this, juicing things with its annual $30 ticket offer that covers hundreds of acts. Artists actually like this plan because it doesn’t affect their bottom line. Once they’ve secured a guaranteed fee per gig, it’s up to Live Nation to turn a profit. Because the company owns so many amphitheatres and has so many venue deals in place, Live Nation gets revenues from food and beverages (especially alcohol, which isn’t cheap), parking and its customary cut from merch sales. Artists get their full payday and get to play in front of more people than they otherwise might.
In the U.K., the government has created the UK LIVE Trust. A one-pound surcharge is added onto the price of a ticket sold for a stadium or arena show (any venue with a capacity of 5,000 or more), which is then reallocated to smaller venues across the country. Mumford & Sons, Pulp and Diana Ross are among the artists in support of the initiative. So far this year, over 500,000 pounds has been raise so far, manna to small clubs from Lizard Point in the south to Out Stack in the Shetland Islands in the north. This in addition to independent MP Jeremy Corbyn’s A Summer to Save Music concert series.
Here in Canada, we won’t get a budget until the fall, and it remains to be seen if the Carney Liberals will listen to the pleas of the arts community. I guess we’ll find out in the fall.
Musicians will always love to play live and there are audiences that love them for it. But it’s getting harder and harder to make that connection. The good news is that you can help. Do yourself and your local small venue and emerging artist a favour and spend a night out with live music. If you really want to help, go to a show on a Tuesday or Wednesday when foot traffic is slow. And whatever you do, buy some merch and vinyl on your way out. It will make a world of difference.
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