Pollstar projects record-setting 2022
Pollstar has released its 2021 Year End Special Issue, including the Top 100 Worldwide Tours, Top 100 North American Tours, a bold prediction for 2022’s touring, and more.
The Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour — the group’s first without drummer Charlie Watts who died before launching — held the No. 1 position among the year’s highest-grossing Worldwide and North American tours ranking based on $115.5 million in sales from 516,624 tickets sold. The No Filter Tour’s 2021 grosses raises its overall box-office haul to $545 million from over 2.8 million tickets sold at 58 shows since the original tour launch in 2017, securing its historic stand among the highest-grossing tours of all time. Rounding out 2021’s Top 100 Worldwide Tours and Top 100 North American Tours are Harry Styles, which sold the most tickets for the 2021 calendar year at nearly 720,000, The Hella Mega Tour featuring Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer, Eagles, Dead & Company, Los Bukis, Guns N’ Roses, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and Jonas Brothers.
“This year started slowly as the live entertainment industry knocked the rust off and ‘got the band back together,’ but in the final analysis, our superstars performed like superstars at the box office and fans embraced the return of live music, with joy and unbridled passion,” shares Ray Waddell, president of Oak View Group’s Media & Conferences Division, which oversees Pollstar and sister publication VenuesNow. “The industry still has many challenges, including establishing consistency in safety and sanitization protocols at venues and events around the world, solving the pricing puzzle, and big picture inclusivity and sustainability objectives. But we’re thrilled to note that so many artists returned to the stage this year and fans couldn’t get enough of the live thing. Barring unforeseen challenges, 2022 could see live return to its record-setting ways of the past decade.”
In its 2020 Year End issue, Pollstar put 2020’s total lost revenue for the live events industry, which was shuttered in March due to the global pandemic, at more than $30 billion, a shocking figure for the live events industry. 2022 presents a vastly different scenario. Based on Pollstar’s Q4 data, which represented most of 2021’s touring, Pollstar projects that 2022 is going to be a banner year for the live industry. The fourth quarter historically represents approximately 24% of the total gross and ticket sales for the Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours. From Q4 2021’s $1.34 billion gross and 15.6 million in ticket sales, Pollstar can extrapolate that next year’s total gross ticket revenue could reach more than $5.63 billion with ticket sales of nearly 65 million for the Top 100 Tours of 2022. Comparing those numbers against 2019’s record-setting year, Pollstar forecasts a 12% increase in tickets and a more modest 1% increase in gross revenues. Looking at the size, scope, and volume of the 25,509 shows for 2022 currently in Pollstar’s database, including runs by major stadium and arena level acts, as well as increased ticket pricing and pent-up consumer demand, 2022 is set to be a record-setting year for live music.
This special Year End Issue looks in depth at the past year with business analysis and deep dives into specific live industry sectors, including promoters, agencies, venues, ticketing, festivals, innovation, philanthropy, and livestreaming. Additionally, the Year-End hub includes a survey featuring industry leaders including UTA’s David Zedek, YM&U’s Matt Colon. Live Nation’s Brandon Pankey, NIVA’s Rev. Moose, I.M.P. Presents’ Seth Hurwitz, MTG’s Louis Messina, WME’s Kirk Sommer, Diversify The Stage and Fitz & The Tantrums’ Noelle Scaggs, CAA’s Rick Roskin and Darryl Eaton, C3’s Amy Corbin, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Danny Wimmer, and more.
Pollstar Live!, set for Monday, February 7th through Wednesday, February 9th at the Beverly Hilton, will once again address the live entertainment industry’s most pressing issues and opportunities as touring returns at full speed in the wake of the devastating global pandemic shutdown. The three days, beginning with Production Live! on February 7th, will host influencers, visionaries, and thought leaders from all facets of live entertainment, from the most experienced, proven entrepreneurs and business leaders to the next generation of executives, and those “in the trenches.” The 33rd Annual Pollstar Awards, presented by Live Nation, will be held on Tuesday, February 8th at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
In addition to artist development through live events, meeting fan expectations, and moving and staging shows successfully, Pollstar Live! and Production Live! will take on the prevalent concerns of the overall touring community today: sustainability, inclusivity, and safety. Through that lens, Pollstar Live! will address such topics as artist development, the performance economy, ticket sales, fan engagement, branding/sponsorships, technology, and more over three days of panels, keynotes, and networking.
