Although festivals, concerts and tours have been back for many months, the concert and event industry is still far from its old strength. The main reasons for this are poor advance sales, excessive production costs and a lack of staff.
The events with international mega-stars are often sold out, said Jens Michow, President of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry, of the German Press Agency in Hamburg. “However, this does not apply to the rest and thus to the absolute majority of the current concert offers.”
reluctance to buy tickets
Because many music fans have become more reluctant to buy tickets – also due to increased costs and the Ukraine war. When the halls are half full, the events are often canceled because the often tight calculations no longer add up. This is especially the case with catch-up concerts from 2020 and 2021 because these were planned with the 2019 prices. A further complication is the acute shortage of staff in the industry.
Michow therefore hopes that state aid will continue to be paid in 2023. Otherwise, the industry will “not recover so quickly”. For 2023 he expects another very difficult year for the cultural events industry. “If not the most difficult”.
“During the pandemic, everyone thought that it would all go wrong if the gates were allowed to be unlocked again. But that only happened in part,” adds Frehn Hawel from the Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion in Hamburg. “It’s a difficult situation at the moment. Corona isn’t really over yet. The long-term consequences are met by inflation and the war. And that triggers uncertainty on too many sides.”
Especially difficult for newcomers
Advance sales for many musicians and bands are much worse than the industry is usually used to. “A lot of things peter out at a 20 percent mark, people sometimes buy at short notice. But you don’t know if they’re doing it either. That makes planning a European tour extremely difficult for many acts,” said Hawel. Events are often canceled when the halls are half full. For bands that still have to earn their audience through live performances, this is a slap in the face. Because they depend on the income from the tours.
lack of young talent in the industry
In addition, the lack of personnel is slowing down the industry. Even sold-out concerts are canceled because there are simply no staff, says Hamburg music manager Salome Agyekum. Many men and women working in front of, on and behind the stage had looked for new jobs due to the unpredictability caused by the corona. “Most people don’t come back,” Agyekum said.
That’s why she co-organized the free streaming benefit concert “All Hands on Deck” in Hamburg a few days ago to show the gaps. Stars like Clueso, Zoe Wees, Alvaro Soler, Jeanette Biedermann, Beatrice Egli and Lina used their appearances to draw attention to the enormous lack of young talent in the industry. Music enthusiasts who are interested in this job are therefore urgently needed.
