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The annual guide to the global live entertainment ticketing business
Click the interactive map below to explore the top 66 global markets
The market is dominated by Ticketmaster, but CTS Eventim’s move in April to acquire Vivendi’s See Tickets will add a whole new competition dynamic.
Primary ticketing
Despite consolidation at the upper end of the market, there’s still a wide range of smaller B2C and B2B operators, including Eventbrite, Tickoweb, Eventix, and Weezevent.
Lennard Moons, Northern Europe MD of Secutix, says the move towards cloud-based ticketing SaaS solutions, such as theirs, is a much-needed upheaval in the market.
“The ticketing industry is primed to follow the same disintermediation process that’s happened across many other sectors,” he says, noting that removing distributor fees and enabling a direct-to-fan relationship are key steps forward. “In travel, finance, and retail, we’ve seen a successful reduction in the use of ‘middlemen,’ and this change to how business is done is now well overdue in ticketing.”
“In travel, finance, and retail, we’ve seen a successful reduction in the use of ‘middlemen,’ and this change to how business is done is now well overdue in ticketing.”
Distribution of sales
Online sales account for between 65-85% here. There remains a niche market for printed tickets (10-20%). David De Wever, CEO of PlayPass, says 80% of the tickets they deliver are via mobile.
“We are seeing an uptick in digital representing around a third of all tickets,” says Jakob Lund, Ticketmaster’s VP for Northwest Europe. “We anticipate this number to rise significantly next year as more of our clients go fully digital.”
Moons suggests that secure mobile app solutions not only improve security (and cut down on touting) but also open up new income streams. “It opens an array of opportunities for diversifying revenue with Web 3.0 products, including digital souvenir tickets and other NFT collectables,” he says.
“It opens an array of opportunities for diversifying revenue with Web 3.0 products, including digital souvenir tickets and other NFT collectables.”
Value of market
Live music revenues were worth €250m in 2022 and are forecast to grow to €292m by 2027 according to PwC, with much of the growth coming from a “thriving music festival summer season.” Major acts can still handle high ticket prices, but smaller events are at the mercy of price sensitivity.
“The Belgian market can sustain these price increases to some extent, but ongoing economic pressures and competition from alternative entertainment options pose challenges,” says Moons. “Event organisers must adopt flexible pricing strategies, enhance value propositions, and continuously monitor market conditions to ensure long-term sustainability.”
“Event organisers must adopt flexible pricing strategies, enhance value propositions, and continuously monitor market conditions to ensure long-term sustainability.”
De Wever says its barometer report (based on client data) saw an 8% increase in daily ticket prices across Europe but adds that events were experiencing unprecedented sell-out rates. “There is a growing demand for premium experiences, and organisers have to capitalise on this by offering tickets bundled with exclusive perks,” he says.
Secondary ticketing
TicketSwap, Viagogo, StubHub (previously owned by Viagogo), and SeatSwap are the strongest players, but they are operating in a much more controlled sector today.
“Stricter rules around secondary sales, including markup limits and anti-scalping measures, have helped maintain a fair and transparent market,” says Moons.
De Wever says that there’s a trend towards event organisers directly managing secondary sales for their own events. “By taking ownership of the resale process, organisers can set resale prices, capture additional margins, and retain valuable resale data,” he says.
Ticketmaster has also made significant moves here. “We’ve recently introduced resale and ticket transfer, transforming how we tackle fraudulent tickets and illegal resales, nearly making these issues obsolete,” notes Lund.
“We’ve recently introduced resale and ticket transfer, transforming how we tackle fraudulent tickets and illegal resales, nearly making these issues obsolete.”
TicketSwap reports that resale prices are capped at 100% of face value, while their data shows the average resale rate is 15% of the primary tickets. And that customers are increasingly purchasing last minute.
TicketSwap is the biggest player in secondary sales in Belgium. “TicketSwap has made the secondary market a more safe, convenient, and fair place to buy and sell tickets,” argues Maxim Troch, partnerships manager Belgium at TicketSwap. “TicketSwap is always compliant with local laws.”
International/domestic splits & genres
Belgium remains an important market for international touring acts (especially at the arena level where they can control the lion’s share of ticket sales). That said, government and wider music industry support for domestic acts are helping them to grow.
Cultural analysis
Dominant genres are pop, rock, and EDM, with indie and hip-hop seeing significant growth. Ticketing companies and event organisers are increasingly having to meet broadening consumer demand across a multitude of areas.
“We introduced a pre-queue account registration system during peak sales to gather data from interested fans, not just main buyers and their friends,” says Marijke van den Bosch, MD of See Tickets Benelux. “This ensures a better understanding of our client’s audience and improves the sales process.”
“Bundling additional services or experiences can also enhance the value proposition of tickets.”
There are growing calls for greater experimentation with dynamic pricing. “This can help maximise revenue while also offering affordable options for more price-sensitive consumers,” proposes Moons. “Bundling additional services or experiences can also enhance the value proposition of tickets. For example, gig tickets could include complimentary drinks, merchandise, or exclusive access to certain areas to justify higher prices.”
Taxes & charges
Tickets are subject to a VAT rate of 6%. This was dramatically reduced in 2019 to help support the cultural sector and make live events more accessible. Commission is typically between 5% and 15%. Some, like PlayPass, go as low as a 2.5% flat fee, with VAT included, although there is a minimum fee of €0.99 per ticket.