Arena Market: France

At the time of writing, the Paris Olympics was set to be one of the biggest events in French history. The sports circus has somewhat overshadowed the usual summer degustation menu of live music touring and infinite festivals. But there will be a big summer of music, even after the Olympics.

But what’s the effect on the live music market? “The live entertainment market is in the best of health!” says Nicolas Dupeux, CEO of Paris Entertainment Company, which runs the Accor and adidas arenas in the French capital.

“The evolution of the average ticket price is clear evidence: in our venues, in France, the post-Covid period is marked by a gradual increase in prices. All styles and artists are affected, but international artists – who are increasingly performing in our venues – stand out significantly. For example, tickets for Madonna’s concert at Accor Arena in November 2023 reached exceptionally high price levels, up to €386.50. Nevertheless, we continue to fill the venues – a sign of strong demand.”

“The live entertainment market is in the best of health!”

Accor Arena is one of France’s key venues, with a capacity between 15,000 and 20,000, while the company’s brand-new adidas arena has a capacity of 8,000–9,000. Kanye West and Depeche Mode both visited Accor Arena earlier in 2024.

“We are gearing up to host the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer in each of our arenas. This is something we are particularly proud of, especially because the adidas arena stands as the sole lasting Olympic infrastructure built within the city for Paris 2024,” says Dupeux.

“Overall, we would like to continue developing partnerships with various brands that share our values, as well as grow the presence of top artists, both French and international. We keep investing to offer audiences unprecedented experiences and artists unrivalled hospitality, all while advancing our transformation into vibrant lifestyle hubs.”

As for innovations, Dupeux outlines: “With ticketing, we have introduced verified and official resale on our websites to offer fans a safe secondary market. Our future developments include offering instalment payments and group payments; introducing the sale of electronic gift cards on Accor Arena and adidas arena websites; accepting PayPal and Apple Pay payments on both sites; and providing an application for flexible and secure delivery of digital tickets utilising blockchain technology. On our app, we have developed an application for adidas arena aimed at simplifying the visitor experience.”

“We keep investing to offer audiences unprecedented experiences and artists unrivalled hospitality”

Another key venue for the Olympics is the multifunctional Paris La Défense Arena. “In the last 12 months, we welcomed over 1.2m spectators,” says Raphaëlle Plasse, booking director. “We have had a record year in the number of concerts hosted while having the Olympics using the venue for six months, with major international acts such as 50 Cent, Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, and French local legend Michel Sardou.

“Hosting the swimming, para-swimming, and water polo finals is a huge [source of] pride for our venue and in terms of visibility will be incredible since swimming is the second most watched sport in the Olympics. The construction of an Olympic pool inside a concert and sports arena will showcase our technical abilities and our strongest strength, modularity. Moreover, we’re one of the few Olympic venues to keep our name, generating an increased visibility internationally. To have the honour [of being] one of the selected Olympic Games venues after hosting the first concert of Taylor Swift’s European tour has guaranteed us extraordinary media coverage for the upcoming months.”

The venue has increased its maximum capacity from 43,000 to 45,000 and aims to further expand in the near future. “Our goal is to host 100 events per year in the upcoming years. To achieve that, we are planning to invest in solutions to optimise load-in and load-out times, reducing costs for the promoters, and increasing the number of days available to book additional events.”

Le Zénith (2,000–7,000) in the district of La Villette celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. “The last two years have been very good ones for the performing arts, with a very strong lineup of French and international artists, particularly for those performing in large and very large venues, with generally good attendance figures, a clear breakthrough for rap artists, and a strong comeback for electronic music/techno nights,” says director Lily Fisher.

Currently, rap, rock, and electro are the most popular genres.

“The upcoming lineup will be highly varied and will continue to reflect the expectations of the 15–35 age group. Currently, rap, rock, and electro are the most popular genres.

We all hope that the public’s enthusiasm for concerts will continue and even grow. The need and desire to get together with friends for festive moments and to be in contact with artists often discovered on social networks, is unique and irreplaceable.”

She adds: “This summer, during the Olympic Games, Le Zénith will host the House of the Netherlands. It’s a new and exciting project for us, one that fits in with the Paris 2024 dynamic and puts the spotlight on the athletes and their celebration.”

To commemorate the 40th anniversary, Fisher says she has put in place a number of activations for the public. “We’ve dug deep into our archives, and we’re offering a brand-new exhibition featuring a selection of 40 t-shirts by iconic artists who have performed at Le Zénith, like David Bowie, Prince, Lady Gaga, Nirvana, Taylor Swift, Johnny Hallyday, and Bruce Springsteen, along with photos, passes, concert tickets.”

2024 is a busy year at Le Zénith, with many sold-out concerts and shows by Black Pumas, Tom Odell, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rod Stewart, Moby, and more.

2024 is a busy year at Le Zénith, with many sold-out concerts and shows by Black Pumas, Tom Odell, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rod Stewart, Moby, and more.

France has a strong emphasis on homegrown talent, and government mandates on French-language music on TV and radio help to spur on French bands and Francophone artists and widen their appeal. Although the industry is focused heavily on Paris, France still has strong regional markets like Rennes, Toulouse, Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, and Lyon, where Zénith venues are frequently the go-to spaces for arena-level acts.

Outside the capital, other venues include Zénith de Strasbourg (12,709) in the east, which can be configured for as few as 1,483, while in the west, the 9,000-capacity Zénith Nantes Métropole has acts such as Seal, Slimane, Disney en Concert, and Holiday on Ice on the calendar. As well as offering an indoor capacity of 8,000, Zénith de Nancy has an outdoor amphitheatre for 25,000 people, meaning it can host a festival-style set-up with indoor and outdoor spaces in use.

Acts booked include a big-name slate of Sting, Eric Clapton, Calogero, Jonas Brothers, Grand Corps Malade, Slimane, and Green Day.

In second-city Lyon, a game-changing new opening has lit up the arena scene. Designed by Populous, the new LDLC Arena has a cap of 6,000–16,000 and opened in November 2023.
Management is a collaboration between Olympique Lyonnaise (the city football team) and Live Nation.

Acts booked include a big-name slate of Sting, Eric Clapton, Calogero, Jonas Brothers, Grand Corps Malade, Slimane, and Green Day.

“We’re excited to deliver our second venue for Lyon alongside Olympique Lyonnais Groupe,” says François Clément, senior principal and leader of Populous’s business operations in France. “Leading on the arena and interior design with our interiors practice, Jump Studios, Populous was able to extend the group’s ambitious OL Vallée venture by providing a venue that responds to the local community.”

Sustainability has been “at the heart” of the design process. The shell of the venue comprises an innovative double skin, which helps regulate the temperature within the arena and minimise the need for climate control systems. The arena generates its energy with 5,500sqm of photovoltaic panels on the main roof. In the public area surrounding the venue, 30% of the total area will be green space, with the scheme to include hundreds of mature trees and a large bird reservation to the north of the site.