If you needed any more proof that we’re all living in one of the world’s most prominent live music hubs, industry bible Billboard recently unveiled their end-of-year Boxscore report, with Australian outlets, including promoters, venues, and festivals, ranking highly in the mag’s 2014 global figures.
As readers can see in the tables below, the beloved Byron Bay Bluesfest is ranked amongst the world’s top ten festivals, coming in at a very respectable number seven. The event’s 2014 instalment managed to gross over AU$14 million, while the top-ranked Coachella took in a staggering US$78 million.
Meanwhile, Australian promoters Dainty Group, Frontier Touring, and Chugg Entertainment, each rank amongst the magazine’s top 25 promoters around the world. Dainty Group came in the highest at fifth place, having grossed almost $137 million during 2014 from 152 shows which saw 1,186,055 punters.
Frontier came it at number eight with an almost $118 million gross from 85 shows and Chugg ranked 13th, with 184 shows earning over $54 million this year. Live Nation topped the list, followed by AEG Live, OCESA-CIE, and T4F – Time For Fun.
Australian venues got plenty of love too, with Melbourne’s colossal Etihad Stadium ranked as the third most successful stadium in the world, garnering over $29 million from just six shows, which were attended by 231,874 fans in the past 12 months.
Sydney’s Allphones Arena and Qantas Credit Union Arena, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre were all ranked amongst the world’s most successful venues, serving as the go-to Australian destinations for countless high-profile tours, including jaunts from Katy Perry and Nine Inch Nails.
Dominating what Billboard have labelled live music’s ‘$20 Billion Year’ are One Direction, Justin Timberlake, and The Rolling Stones, who earned the top three spots, respectively, in the mag’s list of the top 25 highest-grossing tours of the year.
Top 25 Boxscores
Top 10 Festivals
Top 25 Promoters
Top 10 Stadiums
Top 10 Venues 15,000-Plus
Top 10 Venues 10,001-15,000
