Live music ticket sales up 48% in Spain
Ticket sales for live music events in Spain have risen by almost 50% over the past year, according to a new study.
According to the data from the IV Ticketmaster Observatory, reported by APMusicales (APM), ticket sales are up 48% on the pandemic hit 2021/22 figures, with the average expenditure per ticket increasing 37% to €80 compared to €58 last year.
The study was presented this week by Ticketmaster Spain MD Jordi Anglès, following analysis of the transactions made on the platform between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023. It also highlighted a significant increase in ticket purchases among 18 to 24-year-olds, rocketing 45% on the previous 12 months.
The average ticket-buyer was aged between 35-44, with Andalusia accounting for 19% of consumers, followed by Madrid (17%) and Catalonia (16%). The most popular genres were pop (30%), hip-hop (15%), rock (13%) and Latin (9%).
Music tourism has also rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, representing 10% of concert-goers in Spain, led by France and the UK (both 16%), the Czech Republic (11%), United States (10%) and Italy 9%. Tourists spend an average of €107 each time they buy tickets – 28% more than the Spanish public.
“Tourists demand tickets with greater added value such as VIP tickets”
“Tourists demand tickets with greater added value such as VIP tickets,” says Anglès. “Since they make the effort to travel, they are willing to invest more money to enjoy the experience.”
The main deterrents to fans buying tickets were listed as price (36%), lack of interest in the event (23%), lack of time (21%) and the concert being sold out (20%).
Back in March, APM (Association of Musical Promoters) revealed that revenue from ticket sales reached record levels in 2022. The organisation reported that box office takings of more than €459 million leapt 191.33% on 2021, a year restricted by the pandemic, but were also up 20% on the previous best, set in the last pre-Covid year of 2019.
Speaking in the Live Music Yearbook 2023, APM president Albert Salmeron said the figures symbolised “the recovery of a society”.
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Ticketmaster Spain boss leaves after 22 years
After 22 years at the head of the business, Eugeni Calsamiglia is stepping down as CEO of Ticketmaster Spain. He will be succeeded by the company’s CFO, Ana Valdovinos, who said she intends to continue the technological innovation at the company.
Valdovinos was part of the team responsible for integrating Serviticket and Tick Tack Ticket into the global brand. Ticketmaster Spain is the largest ticketing company in the country and sold 7.5 million tickets during the financial year 2019.
On the other side of the Atlantic, dynamic pricing strategies pioneer Scott Holtz has joined AEG Presents‘ Global Touring and Talent division as Vice President, Ticketing Strategy. The newly-created role will see him “expand ticketing strategy and revenue generation efforts across all ticketing platforms, using the latest technologies to make nimble and strategic real-time pricing decisions in an effort to maximise revenue for the division’s touring artists”, according to the company.
Holtz brings 18 years of ticketing experience to the AEG Presents, and was most recently Vice President of Pricing and Distribution at Live Nation.
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WiZink Center reports 1.2k fake tickets in 2019
More than 1,200 fans were denied entry to Madrid’s 16,000-capacity WiZink Center last year, having purchased false or duplicated tickets from unofficial platforms.
According to a report by the venue, there has been an “alarming increase in ticket fraud” in recent months, as fraudsters “capitalise on high demand and sophisticated technology to deceive fans who want to buy tickets at any price.”
In all cases, tickets had been purchased from secondary ticketing sites or through resale between individuals, either online or via street touts.
As reported in the International Ticketing Yearbook 2019, secondary ticketing has long been a controversial issue in Spain and has been raised at government level. However, according to promoters’ association APM, concrete action is yet to be taken.
In May last year, Anatic, the association for secondary ticketing in Spain, warned against the fraudulent behaviour of many resellers and called for regulation and professionalisation of the sector.
To avoid more fans falling foul of fraudsters, the arena – the biggest in Spain – has launched an awareness campaign, disseminating advice to fans through banners on its website and other digital platforms.
“This is a problem that affects us directly, given that we are the ones who end up denying entry”
“This is a problem that affects us directly,” says Almudena Requena, director of ticketing at the WiZink Center, “given that we are the ones who end up denying entry to people with these kinds of tickets. This places a responsibility on us that we are not accountable for.”
Eugeni Calsamiglia, general director of Ticketmaster Spain, says that although it has always been advisable to buy ticket through official channels, it is now “essential”.
“Current access control systems detect 100% of false or duplicated tickets,” explains Calsamiglia, “so the risk of not being able to enter a concert with a ticket bought on an unofficial channel is high.”
The arena reminds fans that, unlike tickets bought through unauthorised channels, tickets purchased from its online box office or through other official sellers also protect against cancellations and date changes.
Upcoming concerts at the WiZink Center include Halsey, Jonas Brothers, Maluma, Bon Iver and Dua Lipa.
Photo: Luis García/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)
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Ticketmaster’s Universe to launch in Spain
Universe, the Ticketmaster-owned DIY ticketing service, will launch in Spain in late 2019.
Canadian-born Universe (formerly Uniiverse) was acquired by Live Nation/Ticketmaster in 2015, and opened its first European office, in London, the following year. It went live in the Netherlands at the start of 2019, at showcase festival Eurosonic Noorderslag (16–19 January).
Eugeni Calsamiglia, CEO of Ticketmaster Spain, says the company is “constantly working to adapt its sales systems to every need posed by customers and artists. Universe is going to be a perfect alternative for promoters who organise single events such as exhibitions, trade shows and small concerts.
“Universe is going to be a perfect alternative for promoters”
“It’s an ecommerce solution that meets the needs of many organisers who prefer to control the process of ticket sales themselves.”
According to the International Ticketing Yearbook 2018, Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticket seller in Spain, while Universe-rivalling digital tools that allow promoters to sell their own tickets online, such as Onebox and Wegow, are growing in popularity.
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