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Italian concert sector brings €1bn economic boost

Italy’s concert industry was worth almost €1 billion to the country’s economy last year, according to newly released figures.

Based on IFPI, Deloitte, Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE), DISMA and GFK data, the Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) reports the overall economic value of music in Italy in 2023 was €4.3bn, with total direct contributions amounting to €3.1bn.

“The Italian musical ecosystem is a very relevant element in the field of the cultural industry” says FIMI CEO Enzo Mazza. “In this context, the value of musical recording as a key element in the industry must also be considered, around which increasingly relevant economies are generated thanks to the technological innovation.”

The concert sector was the biggest driver, generating €967.4m. Combined with dance and musical entertainment (€780.5m), the segment was responsible for 56.8% of direct contributions.

Recorded music accounted for 14.3%, while copyright (broadcast and public performance) made up 14.4% of the total.

The SIAE’s Report, published over the summer, showed that concerts attracted 23.7 million spectators in 2023, a rise of 13.6% on 2022 and a 88% jump on 2019. More than 36,000 events were held – an increase of 16% on 2022 and 98% on 2019.

“No form of support for live music in the profit sector is recognised by Italian legislation”

Meanwhile, in a speech at this month’s Milan Music Week, Carlo Parodi, president of trade body Assomusica, said: “With 24 million spectators and over 36,000 concerts, the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 have doubled – data that testifies to a constantly growing music scene and a professional and dynamic supply chain, capable of organising high-impact events in absolute safety.”

However, he stressed that despite the “record year”, the sector required assistance from the authorities.

“The Entertainment Code has not yet seen the light and this generates a lot of discontent among operators,” he added. “We still find ourselves dealing with an old law – law 800 of 1967 – which prevents profit-making live music companies from accessing the FNSV [National Fund for Live Performance]. Therefore, we have no possibility of participating in the Art Bonus and we do not have the Tax Credit. No form of support for live music in the profit sector is recognised by Italian legislation.”

He added: “Thanks to the support of ICE, Italian music was a major protagonist at WOMEX in Manchester, demonstrating the fact that we must invest further in the internationalisation of our musical groups and contemporary popular music.

“Before making difficult decisions, I invite those who are called upon to make important choices to stop and attend a concert . The beauty and emotions of music can guide you towards the best choice.”

 


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Italian live music events up 70% since 2019

The number of concerts held in Italy last year represented a 70% increase on 2019 figures, according to national trade body Assomusica.

Referencing Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) data, the organisation said that more than 31,000 concerts took place in Italy in 2022 compared to 18,000 in the last pre-pandemic year.

Speaking during a panel at Milan Music Week, Assomusica president Carlo Parodi credited the rise of smaller performances, which take place mainly outside the large metropolitan centres, with boosting the total.

“This panel is the natural continuation of a social campaign by Assomusica on the impact and positive consequences that concerts and live shows have on the territories, especially in villages and small towns,” said Parodi, as per the Ticketing Business.

“These numbers demonstrate how live shows and contemporary Italian music satisfy the primary need for culture and sociality in the territories.”

Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori pointed out that 50 concerts had been held in the city over the past three summers as part of the NXT Station project, while the city has also funded the opening of a second venue, the Lazzaretto.

“We are happy to have become part of the large family of Italian entertainment”

Mantua Mayor Mattia Palazzi also discussed the rise of the Mantova Summer Festival in attracting tourists. The event has confirmed Greta Van Fleet and Diana Krall for 2024, with the city previously having hosted the likes of Sting, OneRepublic, Sigur Ros, Kasabian and Placebo.

Assomusica was founded in Florence in 1996. However, a raft of Italy’s leading promoters split from the organisation in June to join breakaway live music association Assoconcerti, which subsequently installed renowned artist manager and promoter Bruno Sconocchia as its first president. Sconocchia, who has worked with top Italian artists such as Fabrizio De André, Gino Paoli, Ornella Vanoni, Zucchero, Pooh and Lucio Dalla, previously led Assomusica from 2005-09.

Billboard Italia reported the group’s formation was sparked by the appointment of 30-year industry veteran Parodi as Assomusica president, which was supported by local promoters but caused friction with the larger organisations, who considered Sconocchia a better fit for the role due to Parodi’s independent background.

Parodi is founder of the Collegno’s Flowers Festival and the Hiroshima Mon Amour live music club. He became the sixth president of Assomusica, succeeding the late Vincenzo Spera, who passed away in a road accident earlier this year.

The presidential office of AGIS (Italian General Association of Entertainment) approved AssoConcerti’s membership earlier this month, reports iMusicFun.

“We are happy to have become part of the large family of Italian entertainment,” said Sconocchia. “The strength of AGIS lies precisely in its ability to bring together within it a plurality of realities that represent the entire Italian entertainment sector.”

 


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Italy’s Assomusica elects new president

Italy’s live music association Assomusica has announced the election of promoter Carlo Parodi as its new president following the 35th National Assembly of Associates.

Parodi becomes the sixth president of Assomusica, which was founded in Florence in 1996, succeeding the late Vincenzo Spera, who passed away in a road accident earlier this year.

A music promoter from Turin with over 30 years’ experience, Parodi is the founder of the Collegno’s Flowers Festival and the Hiroshima Mon Amour live music club.

The Assembly also elected the new board of directors, which now comprises Vincenzo Bellini, Paolo De Biasi, Fulvio De Rosa, Giuseppe Gomez Paloma, Giampaolo Grotta and Rita Zappador. Di Biasi had served as interim president since Spera’s death.

“The most complex issues will be addressed immediately, with great attention and care”

“It is with a sense of pride, as well as great responsibility and commitment, that I welcome this appointment and the trust that is being placed in me and in the new board of directors,” says Parodi. “The most complex issues will be addressed immediately, with great attention and care.

“On a personal level, I will commit to being everyone’s president, and those who know me know that this isn’t just a cliché. I will try to play my part, bringing my experience to the table, and taking on all the issues in the lively, structured industry of live music. We are now past the pandemic, that has proven how complex this segment of the cultural industry is and has shown that, in order to stand strong, Assomusica needs to be cohesive. And this, perhaps, is one of the most challenging legacies left by Vincenzo Spera.”

Salvitelle-born Spera founded event management company Duemilagrandieventi in 1974 and went on to work with a host of international artists, from Miles Davis to Bob Dylan, as well as household Italian entertainers such as Beppe Grillo to Fabrizio De André.

He held the role of Assomusica president for more than a decade, representing the majority of live music companies in Italy. News of his death in March sparked an outpouring of tributes from the industry.

 


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