European music festival organisers have cited increasing competition in the market as their main concern when it comes to the ability to sell tickets for their events.
The Pollstar website, citing a survey conducted by European festival association Yourope, stated that organisers’ concerns have shifted year-on-year.
Yourope has 98 members on the continent, including the likes of Exit Festival (Serbia), Lollapalooza Berlin (Germany), Pinkpop (Netherlands), Primavera Sound (Spain), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Roskilde Festival (Denmark) and Sziget Festival (Hungary).
A total of 29 festivals responded to the survey, with 19 stating they had a “fantastic” edition in 2018. Seven said it was good, but not outstanding, and three responded it could have been better.
Around half of respondents reported ticket sales of 80 per cent or more, with 37 per cent of the events recording a sell-out. Three festivals saw less than 80 per cent of tickets sold.
While 2017’s survey cited a lack of headliners as the main explanation for impacting ticket sales, this year 58 per cent of respondents claimed that competition in the marketplace was their main concern.
When asked to look five years into the future, the majority of respondents cited rising artist fees as their main worry going forward.
Image: Vinch
Share this