Spain’s live music sector made a “timid” recovery in 2021, with revenue generated from ticket sales just 13.7% up on the previous year’s figures.

Turnover was €157.6 million last year – an increase on the €138.6m racked up in 2020, when the coronavirus crisis first took hold.

The total pales in comparison to the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and ’19, when the industry made €333.9m and €382m respectively. However, the business ended the year on a more positive note, with ticket sales in Q4 showing signs of a resurgence amid the easing of Covid restrictions.

“TICKET SALES DID NOT BEGIN TO RECOVER UNTIL AUGUST, COINCIDING WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE CAPACITY”

“Taking the last decade as a reference, the data for 2021 equals the turnover of 2013, when €158.1m was recorded,” reports the Spanish Association of Music Promoters (APM). “Ticket sales did not begin to recover until August, coinciding with the expansion of capacity and the celebration of the first massive events.

“During the last quarter of 2021 figures typical of the years prior to the pandemic were recorded, reaching almost €30m in turnover in December, a record figure that confirms the upward trend of the industry in 2022.”

The results were revealed in the 2022 Live Music Yearbook, edited by the APM and presented today (19 April) at the IFEMA Madrid trade fair.

Catalonia was the biggest music market, bringing in €36.7m (up 23.18% on 2020), followed by Andalusia with €26.1m, Madrid at €21.9m and the Valencian community at €11.9m.

Spain’s top 10 tours of 2021 were headed by Dani Martín, which attracted 127,766 attendees for 11 concerts, followed by José Luis Perales with 111,933 spectators across 37 shows, and Aitana, which drew 105,268 fans for 31 gigs.

APM previously reported that around 25,000 concerts were cancelled in Spain in 2020, causing a total loss of €120m for concert halls.

Last month, it was announced that Spanish citizens who turn 18 in 2022 will be given a voucher worth €400 to spend on culture as part of government plans to rebuild the sector.

Recipients will have one year to spend the Youth Cultural Bonus, which comes into effect in June, and will be able to spend a maximum of €200 on live art including music concerts and festivals, and up to €100 each on physical cultural products and online or digital consumption.

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