MELBOURNE (VIP NEWS) — Live entertainment proved to be a hot ticket Down Under in 2013, with revenue reaching an all-time high of nearly Australian $1.5 billion, new research reveals.
In its latest Annual Ticket Attendance & Revenue Survey, Live Performance Australia reports a 22.7% gain in value for ticket sales across all live entertainment last year to Australian $1.479 billion from $1.205 billion, thanks in part to successful international tours from Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, One Direction and Pink, and the modern-day circus that is Cirque Du Soleil.
Overall attendance across all live entertainment events rose by 10.2%, to 16.05 million paid tickets up from 14.1 million in 2012. The survey recorded 17.93 million tickets — including paid, complimentary, sponsor and zero-priced tickets– were distributed in Australia in 2013, up from 16.27 million in 2012.
“There were substantial gains made in 2013, in what was overall a strong year for the Live Performance Industry,” notes LPA CEO Evelyn Richardson. “This reflects a year of improved consumer confidence across Australia, in which consumer confidence was generally higher than in 2012.”
Rock and pop concerts, categorized as "Contemporary Music," took the lion’s share of all ticket sales at 42.5%. Gross revenue grew by 30.3% to $628.13 million ($583 million) from $482.18 million ($447 million), while total attendance increased by 14.3%. At the same time, the price of a ticket rose on average from Australian $100.27 to Australian $110.50.
LPA highlighted the big deal that was Pink’s 46-date “The Truth About Love Tour.” Pink’s trek shifted more than 500,000 tickets, with more than 200,000 of those sold in Melbourne (population: 4.25 million), where the pop star broke the venue record at Rod Laver Arena with 18 shows.
The “Circus and Physical Theatre” category enjoyed a spike in 2013, with revenue jumping by 162.8% to Australian $142.03 million ($131 million), and total attendance soaring by 131.5%. The two major Cirque Du Soleil productions Ovo and Michael Jackson: The Immortal played a hand in the genre’s impressive year.
The association admits performances by the small to medium sector, and at regional venues, continue to be underreported in annual survey, which is now in its 10th edition. Though each year, LPA is confident its sample is more comprehensive than the previous, with the annual Bluesfest among those coming on board this time as a “data partner."
The LPA’s ticketing report was published to coincide with the presentation of its annual Helpmann Awards, held Monday night in Sydney. Tours by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and Hunters & Collectors won major categories at the gala. The Boss and Frontier Touring Company won the best international contemporary concert for the second successive year, this time for the High Hopes tour which sold 261,000 tickets across 13 shows in Australia and New Zealand. Hunters & Collectors, Roundhouse Entertainment and Frontier Touring won for best Australian contemporary concert for the rockers’ winery tour and theatre shows earlier this year.
