Features
2009 1Q Ticket Charts
The worldwide concert business seems to be holding up reasonably well despite the financial turmoil that is affecting nearly every part of the globe.
The Top 100 tours worldwide sold a combined 10.1 million tickets in Q1 compared with 9.9 million during the same period in 2008. Pollstar gathered $941.6 million in worldwide grosses in Q1, which was down slightly from the $945.5 million a year ago.
The first quarter of the year, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, is traditionally a time when fewer acts tour. Those major tours that did high-profile onsales in Q1 have largely been successful. Britney, Phish, Bruce and U2 are not facing any serious problems with fan response.
We will have to wait and see how the economy will affect the concert industry once the summer season starts in earnest. Those making decisions on price and attendance projections would be wise to follow a conservative tour path.