the only thing we are interested in is going to concerts
He SGAE 2025 Yearbook It comes with its data about the general state of culture in our country, and a series of figures stand out above the rest: those of the music scene. While cinema and television plummet, portraying a state of affairs that cannot overcome not only the pandemic, but the 2008 crisis, the concert and pop events scene demonstrates absolutely enviable health. Music yes. The growth that music has shown in all its aspects has been overwhelming: 32.3% in number of concerts, 20.6% in audiences and 77.1% in income, all compared to 2019, before the pandemic. Ticket sales have almost tripled if we compare it with 2008, an absolute moment of prosperity before the last recession on a global scale and it is the only sector that has fully completed the recovery and continues to rise. It is a phenomenon that goes beyond pop music: classical music is also having a good time, although attendance remains slightly below previous levels, at 9% less. Still, the upward trend is indisputable. More data. For example, according to figures presented by the Association of Music PromotersSpain closed 2024 with a record turnover of 725.6 million euros in ticket sales, a jump of 25.32% compared to the previous year. It is the third consecutive year surpassing historical marks, consolidating a trend that places our country as one of the most powerful markets in Europe. The festivals generated 398 million euros, growing by 30.9% year-on-year in 2024. The progression is spectacular: from 459 million in 2022 to 579 million in 2023until reaching the current 725 million. If we compare with 2008, the pre-pandemic reference year, Collection has practically tripled. The film festival. While music celebrates, Spanish cinema goes through one of his worst moments: falls in most indicators in 2024 and has not reached the box office revenue of 2019. Theaters registered between 71 and 73 million spectators in 2024, with a drop of 5-6% compared to 2023 and a collection that barely It touched 477-485 million euros. The figure contrasts with the 105 million viewers in 2019, showing that post-pandemic recovery has stalled. Among other causes, the strike of scriptwriters and actors in Hollywood during 2023 delayed key premieres, leaving a catastrophic first semester. We don’t watch television. Traditional television is not immune to the debacle either. Average consumption fell to 163-171 minutes per day per viewer, marking a historic low. Compared to a decade ago, the drop reaches 30%. It is obvious who is behind this fall: the massification of audiovisual entertainment through streaming platforms. streaming. Because. The triumph of live music responds to a demand for unique, non-canned experiences that domestic consumption does not satisfy. Spain has established itself as a mandatory stop on the big international tourswith an infrastructure of festivals that attracts cultural tourism during all year. The tax incentives implemented since 2019 and improved in 2021 have facilitated investments in increasingly ambitious productions. In other areas the physical format may have disappeared, but in musical terms the live show has become a premium experience: young audiences prefer to spend 80 euros on a festival than 8 on a movie ticket. The music takes over. Pop live shows emerge as the only Spanish cultural industry with sustained growth, although behind its figures there are not so positive realities: as the analysis of the SGAE yearbook has made clear, job insecurity persists in all sectors and at all levels (from technicians to creatives) despite the million-dollar records. And another thing: the tendency to gigantism of musical events brings with it its own risks, with festivals becoming the minimum unit of expression of music and sweeping away what was previously the norm, small and medium-sized venues for artists of not so colossal sizes. According to Pollstar dataonly the hundred most successful tours in the world (that is, all macro concerts) achieved a combined collection of 9.5 billion dollars. That is, once again we are talking about something that is not exactly music. Header | Tijs van Leur in Unsplash In Xataka | Cinemas yes, festivals no: where the battle is being won to bring in food and drink from abroad