The live entertainment sector “in the two post-covid years, in 2020-2021, it suffered a dramatic crisis. With people closed at home, our companies and all the workers in our sector saw their income disappear, there were no concerts. Fortunately, in 2022-2023 there was an increase perhaps also due to the desire for socialization following the drama of the pandemic. The numbers have even risen dramatically in 2023 we will see an almost 96% increase compared to pre-covid, that is, compared to 2019″. Bruno Sconocchia, president of AssoConcerti, a trade association that brings together the most important organizers and producers of live music, told AGI.
“All that glitters is not gold – he explains – because I point out that the increased revenues for 2022-2023 have not yet even covered the losses in the previous two years. The trend we are detecting today from our members and from the data of the SIAE is that for the current year 2024 there is still a slight growth trend, I believe it is physiological that the curve is normalizing, but in any case it is still a positive trend”
The sector has a very vast offering, many tours by artists with widespread presence in theaters or clubs: isn’t there the risk of an excessive presence to the detriment of quality or that we might simply get tired?
It’s possible that people might get tired – adds Sconocchia – but the data shows otherwise. Even today when they go on sale with some concerts even in 2025 and therefore with a very large period of time ahead, they are sold out in some cases in a few days, in others in a few hours. I don’t think we can say that the public is getting tired of it. Just like quality, if the audience decides it, evidently we are offering high quality shows because this is the trend in ticket sales at these concerts.”
Concert prices are high. Is it possible to calm them down?
“This is a very complex and difficult discussion, in some cases rhetorical. The average ticket for shows in general, as the SIAE data say – adds the president of AssoConcerti – is 38 euros and in large concerts which have attendances of over 15 thousand people, the average ticket is higher and reaches 61 euros. This means that it is true that there is a ticket for 100 euros but also a ticket for 40 euros, all very relative, we all know the prices of restaurants today. hotels, football and opera. How and who establishes what the right price is? I would add that the average and maximum price of tickets in Italy is much lower than in Europe and the rest of the world In Milan we had a very high presence of foreigners and Americans because with the cost of the ticket in America, the same person paid for the plane ticket, stayed a few days in Milan and saw the concert”.
The live music sector provides many jobs. How much is the turnover?
“The SIAE data for 2023, which are the latest updates – says Sconocchia – tell us that in Italy in 2023 36 thousand concerts were held with an attendance of almost 24 million spectators and with public spending of 894 million euros , is the record so far and I like to highlight over 50% of the entire live entertainment sector. This fact makes me say that today we are the leading industry in the Italian cultural world”.