Market Report: Greece

The live market continues to show strong growth in Greece, with revenue in the event tickets market projected to reach $121.30m in 2024, according to Statista.

In part, this is due to more well-known, international artists adding Greek dates, but there’s also the benefit of tourism. “With an annual influx of millions of tourists and a wide array of live music events and festivals, the market is poised for expansion as the country continues to draw an increasing number of international visitors,” says promoter Giannis Paltoglou, of Ejekt Festival and Detox Events.

“One of our biggest challenges is the lack of year-round venues for music events.”

But it’s not all plain sailing. “One of our biggest challenges is the lack of year-round venues for music events,” says Stefanos Kakarantzas, chief operating officer of Ticketmaster Greece. “While we have some spaces available, not having permanent options limits the number of concerts and live performances.”

Primary ticketing
More.com (formerly viva.gr) remains the leading ticketing company, commanding over 70% of market share in terms of events, mainly due to their wide coverage of theatre, music, cinema and, more recently, sports.

“More.com is one of Europe’s largest ticketing platforms, with over 4,000 partners, 370,000 productions, and 46m tickets sold,” says head of marketing, Christina Cleridou.

Ticketmaster is still a significant player, as is ComeTogether, which has introduced innovations such as blockchain technology and NFTs. Others include ticketservices.gr and Beego.

Distribution of sales
E-tickets and digital tickets are now used by over 90% of event attendees (less than 5% use physical tickets).

Secondary ticketing
Scalping and resale continue to be a problem, particularly for bigger events, with Viagogo and StubHub leading the way. The former in particular is “doing a great deal of business in Greece and allows secondary market resale without any checks and balances to ensure tickets are valid,” says Claudia Bacco of ComeTogether. “Our solutions allow event organisers to decide whether or not resale is permitted and set parameters for pricing levels.”

“Our solutions allow event organisers to decide whether or not resale is permitted and set parameters for pricing levels.”

TicketSwap also operates but controls resale pricing with a limit of 25% over the original price, while dynamic QR codes are beginning to be introduced to combat scalping.

International/domestic splits & genres
Approximately two-thirds of performances are by domestic artists with summer festivals tending to feature international artists.

Country Profile: Greece

For many years, Greece felt overlooked as a destination for many international touring acts, although some, notably Depeche Mode and Nick Cave, actively sought to include Greek dates on their tours.

But summer festivals like Ejekt, Rockwave, and Release Athens have been drawing in more international acts.

Giannis Moustakas of GMI Live feels, however, that there is a lot further to grow here, and he believes that more acts playing festivals in Greece will have a knock-on effect for acts seeking to play their own headline shows there. “The infrastructure for tourism is there, and tourism is our big industry,” he says. “It’s all there, but the government has to make the step to invest more in venues and live music.” He points to Croatia as a sign of what Greece could replicate, where people combine a festival and a holiday in the same trip.

“The government has to make the step to invest more in venues and live music.”

The Greek government and private capital, he feels, could be far more proactive here, especially in helping to build the mid-size venues (with caps of 10-15,000) that the country sorely lacks but which would increase the range of acts Greece could attract. “But it was never a strategy in cultural politics in Greece to invest in venues, in concerts, and in international live music,” he sighs.

Alongside GMI Live, other key local promoters include High Priority Promotions (who look after AthensRocks) and Fuzz Productions (Release Athens Festival).

Giannis Paltoglou, who works on Ejekt Festival and at Gagarin 205 venue in the capital, calls the Greek market “very promising,” and where big acts can do good business. However, small and mid-level acts – especially as the country’s challenged economy means Greeks do not typically have the same disposable income as other Europeans – may struggle.

“For major artists, the touring business is thriving, with many sold-out tours and high demand for stadium shows,” he says. “However, for smaller and upcoming musicians, the situation is more difficult due to the high cost of a tour.”

In recent years, major acts like Guns N’ Roses, Coldplay, Rammstein, The Gypsy Kings, and Måneskin have all played the country, but most shows tend to be in Athens only (which, admittedly, accounts for around 40% of the country’s population). The unlocked opportunity lies in adding Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, to touring schedules, but that is not going to be easy.

“For major artists, the touring business is thriving, with many sold-out tours and high demand for stadium shows.”

“Thessaloniki is the perfect place for all this because it’s closer to our neighbouring countries,” says Moustakas. “For example, the airport of Thessaloniki has been renovated and been made bigger, so it’s even easier for transport. If you have big touring shows, then the trucks have less of a way to go. From Thessaloniki to Athens, it’s 500 kilometres that you’re not getting back. The position of Thessaloniki is perfect. It is just that the economy is not there.”

Paltoglou does warn, however, that the weather in Greece, which is so critical to tourism, can make touring difficult. “In today’s environment, the costs of travel and accommodation are continually increasing, and managing logistics is becoming more complex, especially during the hot summer months in Greece as the high temperatures can be a challenge.”

He is optimistic that over the next 12-36 months, the Greek music market will boom. “[That is] due to factors such as tourism, festival growth, support from the government and private sector, digital transformation, a cultural resurgence, and improved infrastructure.”

In order to slipstream this, international acts should look to add more Greek dates to their tours, as live is seen as the best way to build loyal fanbases there. Alongside traditional Greek music, which goes far beyond the two major cities, other key genres in the market include rock and alternative, but both hip-hop and electronic music are seeing sharp growth.

“The entertainment industry in Greece has evolved, and acts that may not have been successful a few years ago are now finding success,” says Paltoglou. “Persistence and dedication are undeniably the critical components of success.”

Arena Market: Greece

It’s a good time to be touring Greece at the moment. “The international touring market in Greece is thriving and showing vital signs of recovery and growth,” says Giannis Paltoglou, owner of Detox Events. “We have several festivals ready to take place in 2024, and Ejekt Festival, one of the country’s largest and most significant, has been extended to four days for the first time.”

Genres like pop, rock, and electronic are “vibrant,” he says, with major cities such as Athens hosting numerous festivals and concerts all year round. Florence & the Machine, Kraftwerk, and Herbie Hancock have all had shows recently; Måneskin, Korn, and Bring Me The Horizon are some of the most prominent festival bookings. International comedy touring has started gaining popularity, too.

Outside of festivals, most A-list superstars and musical artists opt to play the OAKA Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium, named after the first modern Olympic marathon gold medallist in 1896. Capable of holding 69,618 people in the main stadium, most artists perform at the adjacent 18,500-capacity indoor hall, which opened in 1995. Coldplay, Rammstein, and Queens of the Stone Age will all play in 2024.

“The international touring market in Greece is thriving and showing vital signs of recovery and growth”

It’s all part of what Paltoglou calls a stable demand for live music, a demand that he says “will continue to grow, with all promoters, artists, and agents striving to achieve the best results for international touring.” Tourism will help with this; so will the growing music festival scene and the country’s economic recovery. “Alongside some of our unique venues, these can be leveraged to help venues, promoters, and artists generate enthusiasm and create memorable music events.”

Of course, challenges remain – many are similar to those facing other markets. The high cost of travel and accommodation can be problematic, and Greece’s geographic layout can make travel challenging. Yet, despite these obstacles, Paltoglou is bullish. “Greece’s rich cultural  heritage, stunning venues, and enthusiastic audiences continue to attract international artists worldwide,” he says.

In Thessaloniki, the 9,500-capacity P.A.O.K. Sports Arena, built in 2000, is another touring option. Used mostly for basketball matches, it has nonetheless hosted some high- profile artists with The Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, and Enrique Iglesias having all graced its stage.