Live sector ticket sales in France brought in a record €1.6 billion at the box office last year – 13% up on 2023 – according to a report by the National Music Centre (CNM).
The increase, which was smaller than the 21% upturn witnessed in the previous 12 months, was driven by higher ticket prices, with the average ticket price rising 10% to €45.
Total attendance was up 2% on 2023 to 37.9 million, but CNM points out that the figures are skewed by the four opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Popular genres included jazz-blues (12%), rock-metal (10%), and variety-pop (9%), with the list of the top ten-attended shows and tours composed entirely of French-speaking artists, with the exception of Taylor Swift. Conversely, the artists that generated the most attendance per show in 2024 were almost exclusively from overseas, apart from singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, who was second only to AC/DC.
However, the organisation, which describes the overall picture for the live business as “mixed”, has raised doubts about the “long-term sustainability” of the festival model after its analysis of more than 100 French festivals found that two out of three events made a loss in 2024.
Festival ticket revenue reached €313m, down 0.4% on 2023, linked to a 5% drop in the number of events. Attendance dipped to 8.6m, 5% down on 2023, although the average ticket price of €40 was 5% higher than the previous year. Average capacity ascended 2% to 29,400, with average attendance steady at 22,200. The occupancy rate was 77% – down 3% on 2023.
“This data confirms, once again this year, the structural fragility of the festival economic model and calls into question its long-term sustainability”
What’s more, the CNM says the average deficit has rocketed 73% to €115,675 (average budget: €1.6m) – and reports that 68% of festivals with an occupancy rate above 90% still made a loss in 2024.
“This data confirms, once again this year, the structural fragility of the festival economic model and calls into question its long-term sustainability,” it says. “Especially since, despite an increased average capacity, average attendance remains stable, thus leading to a slightly lower average festival occupancy rate.”
Festival expenses increased by an average of 6% in 2024, but revenues only went up by 4% – a gap the CNM has labelled the “scissors effect”. Among the costs incurred in 2024, technical items increased by 6%, artist costs by 9% and other expenses by 4%, while insurance rose by 14%.
Ticket sales represented 44% of total festival revenue on average, compared to 15% for bar and restaurant income.
“While ticket sales are up by an average of +4% and bar and restaurant revenue by 1% compared to 2023 , this positive trend masks diverse situations among festivals depending on their budget categories,” continues the CNM. “Thus, for festivals with budgets between €500,000 and €1 million, and those with budgets exceeding €3m, ticket sales and bar and restaurant revenue are up, compared to stable ticket sales and bar and restaurant revenue down for festivals with budgets between €1-3m and those with budgets below €250,000.
“In terms of partnerships, a growing number of festivals are using sponsorship in 2024. Resources from partnerships and sponsorships increased by an average of 4%, while those from sponsorship increased by 14%.”
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