In 2022, unlike in 2021, we see a more optimistic outlook when it comes to festivals and events, and that is starting to show in the statistics. Viberate recently conducted a report on the performance of festivals and events this semester compared to last year, when there was a small opening to their realization.
The last two years brought uncertainty, a feeling that has not yet faded and that has greatly influenced the music industry and live shows. Even so, many people are attending at least one party, which shows in their numbers.
Viberate analyzed both the trends and the elements that made this new season of festivals and events possible. For example, the fact that EDM is still very popular all around the world. Of the three biggest festivals in the world, Ultra is the most EDM-heavy, as its massive lineup is filled with a third of electronic dance music artists. After this, it is followed by house DJ’s with more than 20% representation of Tomorrowland, the event with the most ambitious lineup of artists.
In terms of geographical distribution, most take place in the US (19), followed by the Netherlands (11) and then France (10). The first five positions are in descending order occupied by Untold Festival, Lollapalooza Brazil, Ultra Miami Festival, and Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, leaving the first position to Tomorrowland, the best-performing festival.
Artists’ bookings, ticket sales, and organizers’ perspectives on festivals in numbers
In terms of ticket sales, the festivals generated an estimated $3B in ticket sales. 140 of the analyzed festivals fall into the “huge” category, which is supposed to yield the biggest gains. The average ticket price of the analyzed festivals is $195. The most booked artists are from electronic music, and the vast majority of them come from the Netherlands. 76 of the 100 most booked artists are all-male groups or solo artists, led by Timmy Trumpet, Jack Harlow, and Martin Garrrix.
“Data is changing the way organizers are selecting their lineups. In our survey, 68% of organizers said they’re screening artists’ Spotify listeners, Instagram followers and similar stats. Finding artists with a strong local fanbase is essential for selling tickets. So I’d recommend Viberate’s professional music analytics to everyone who wants to fine-tune their booking and promotional strategies and get back to the pre-pandemic status as soon as possible.”
Vasja Veber, Viberate’s Co-founder
When festival organizers were asked about whether or not festival attendance will grow, half of the respondents don’t expect to grow their festival attendance in 2022 compared to the last festival edition. 26.6% expect to grow it up to 25%, 21.0% between 25 and 100%, and hardly any more than that. Interestingly, the festivals that don’t expect to grow their attendance are predominantly small (up to 5,000 visitors). Bigger festivals mainly expect to grow their attendance.
The live music industry is changing permanently because of the events of the pandemic. There are more bets on local talent, although contrary to what several experts pointed out, EDM is still a popular genre among them, perhaps due to the fact that people want to dance as much as possible after two years of confinement.