Aussie Appetite For Concerts Puts Promoters, Venues, In Top Global Lists

And still, they come! Australians’ insatiable demand for top-end live experiences has been a boon for local promoters and major venues.

Frontier Touring and TEG Group were in the Top 20 of the best-grossing promoters in the world in 2024, according to an end-of-the-year report from live music trade publication Pollstar.

Venues did extraordinary business. Accor Stadium in Sydney was the second-best performer in the world of stadiums, while Melbourne’s Forum Theatre ranked #3 globally in its category.

According to the Pollstar listing, Frontier was the best-performing Australian promoter after shifting 1,706,725 tickets and grossing US$215,320,310.50.

It had 112 tours throughout the year, such as Taylor Swift playing some of her biggest shows in her career Down Under (including 90,000 each at four Melbourne shows), Foo Fighters, Paramore (25,000 at one Sydney show alone), The Teskey Brothers, G Flip, The Killers and Jack White.

Sydney-based TEG Group, at #17, ranked second among local promoters, with 2,142,238 tickets and a gross of $182,323,363.00. 

These came from maverick phenomenon Fred again.. with 224,091 sales (TEG Live was involved with Handsome Tours, Laneway Presents and Astral People), over 130,000 for Laneway, 92,000 for SXSW Sydney, and FISHER’s Out2Lunch EDM festival (which sold out at 30,000 punters and generated $50 million to the Gold Coast economy, with plans to expand nationally next year) and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

However, missing from the list is Live Nation Australasia. Its figures are traditionally rolled into its American parent company.

However, it would have been right up there with P!nk doing over 900,000 locally, Coldplay estimated at over 500,000 (and breaking all-time concert attendance records at venues; at Accor Stadium, it was 338,776 fans over four nights).

LN also had strong turnouts for Pearl Jam, Travis Scott, blink-182, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and various K-Pop acts.

LN Australasia Chairman Michael Coppel said, “We’ve seen phenomenal ticket sales and a great deal of excitement among fans for the tours that we and our competitors are doing.”

Dion Brant, head of Frontier Touring, marvelled at how pop acts were jumping from clubs to theatres to 5,000-capacity venues “in one cycle. They're getting in front of bigger crowds faster, especially the ones who connect to the crowds and make them feel part of the show. That’s fantastic.”

What also stood out from the Pollstar list was the continued rise of Destroy All Lines and Untitled Group as they hit Gen Z and Millennials with new emerging sensations, and Handsome Tours and Bohm Presents remain on the fast lane for the same reason.

According to Pollstar’s end-of-year report:

PROMOTERS

Frontier Touring was at #14 after shifting 1,706,725 tickets and grossing $215,320,310.50.

TEG was #17 with 2,142,238 tickets and a gross of $182,323,363.00.

Destroy All Lines: 659,174 tickets, gross of $55,337,129.60.

Untitled Group: 466,951 tickets gross of $48,010,930.60.

Handsome Tours: 398,888 tickets, gross of $26,219,158.00.

Bohm Presents: 443,578 tickets and gross of $23,271,825.20.

STADIUMS

Accor Stadium Sydney: 771,756 tickets and gross of $115,026,779.00.

It beat out Tokyo Dome, Dublin’s Croke Park and Singapore’s National Stadium.

Marvel Stadium, Melbourne: at #13, with 570,845 tickets and $66,251,626.60 gross.

At #15 was the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with 275,259 tickets and $53,943,426.80 turnover.

Down the list, Suncorp Stadium Brisbane had box office moves of 234,263 (gross: $28,127,433.40), and Optus Stadium Perth juiced up 246,427 to a tally of $25,201,975.00.

Allianz Stadium Sydney reported 194,023 tix to $24,583,314.80, Brisbane Showgrounds moved 145,835 to $19,609,222.00, and Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne grossed $16,043,673.90 from 129,342 patrons.

AMPHITHEATRE

Listed at #11 globally, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne drew 256,639, which gave it a gross of $18,948,064.70.

Brisbane Riverstage turned over $4,477,922.80 from 59,222.

ARENAS

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, at #33, with 809,390 and $73,736,507.50.

Rod Laver Arena at #59, with 419,137 and $42,163,885.00.

Brisbane Entertainment Centre at #71, with 484,741 and $36,959,378.50.

RAC Arena, Perth, at #97, with 367,869 tickets and $24,932,453.10.

Outside the Top 100 were Hordern Pavilion Sydney (tickets: 141,388; gross $9,293,639.40), 

Adelaide Entertainment Centre (tickets: 72,418; gross $7,265,093.70), John Cain Arena Melbourne (tickets: 87,997; gross: $6,213,452.60) and Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (tickets: 82,511; gross: $6,035,355.40).

THEATRES

Enmore Theatre Sydney ranked globally at #99 after 96,243 patrons brought in $5,236,245.70.

CLUBS

Forum Theatre’s #3 position in the world was from a tally of $11,964,234.50 and box office sales of 231,754.

Corner Hotel, Melbourne: 64,178 tickets; gross $2,125,466.40.

Metro Theatre Sydney: tickets 23,722; gross $979,823.30.

170 Russell in Melbourne: 14,655 tickets; gross $592,502.00.

Northcote Social Club, Melbourne: tickets 24,228; gross $513,707.20.

The Gov, Adelaide: 9,670 stubs, gross $465,524.10.

Pollstar summed up that worldwide: “2024 was a strong, stable and impressive year. The total grosses for the Top 100 Worldwide Tours set a new record, though its growth was not as dramatic as it was in 2022 and 2023.”

It added: “The year also saw history in the making with the two biggest tours of all time out simultaneously.

“Taylor Swift’s juggernaut The Eras Tour set the all-time highest gross for a tour at more than $2 billion, while Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres Tour played before more fans than any tour in history, selling an astronomical 10.3 million tickets.” 

Australian acts were also doing big business. Cold Chisel’s 24 Australian shows on the Big Five-0 tour (one as Barking Spiders in Thirroul) drew 225,000 to a mix of arenas, outdoor shows and a 10,000-capacity circus tent.

Missy Higgins’ album tour had over 100,000 despite minimal radio and streaming support.

Hoodoo Gurus and The Church also had the Sold Out signs on their runs.

FAST FORWARDING: 2025

A few years ago, Australian promoters were suggesting that after the top-end live sector explosion after the COVID-19 shutdown, 2025 could see a slow turndown.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Already n,ext year has sweep-ins with quick sell-outs for Oasis, Luke Combs, Dua Lipa, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue, Billie Eilish and Katy Perry, with Metallica, Slipknot, Charli XCX, Tyler Childers, Paul Kelly, Amyl & The Sniffers, 10cc, Alien Art Farm, Keshi, Chris Stapleton, Alexisonfire & Underoath, G-Eazy, Cigarettes After Sex, Roxette, Anthony Callea & Tim Campbell, and more heading down under.

Rumoured: Beyoncé (again), The Rolling Stones (again), Adele (again) and Alicia Keys.