Overall Category Highlights Click for more info
As with previous years, the Contemporary Music and Musical Theatre categories represent the two largest categories in the industry, generating 40.1% and 21.2% of revenue, respectively. Combined, these two categories account for 61.4% of the Live Performance Industry in terms of gross revenue and 51.6% of total attendance. The top 3 revenue categories combined, which also includes Festivals (Single-Category) in 2014, accounts for 70% of all industry revenue.
The most significant gains were experienced by the Festivals (Multi-Category), Musical Theatre and Special Events categories. The significant increases for Festivals (Multi-Category) can largely be explained by the inclusion of new data providers in 2014. The Falls Music and Arts Festival was included for the first time in 2014, and the significantly higher ticket prices for this festival increased the overall ticket price and contributed to strong gains. In addition, the inclusion of MONA FOMA and Dark Mofo for the first time this year contributed to strong growth in Tasmania.
The gains for Musical Theatre were primarily due to the number and calibre of performances, which included Grease, Les Misérables, The Lion King and Wicked.
The Special Events category is also particularly variable from year to year as it is highly dependent on whether performances that cannot be classified into other categories take place. In particular, the national tour of Mythbusters Live in 2014 contributed to the strong growth in this category.
In contrast, the Circus and Physical Theatre category experienced some of the larger declines in both revenue and attendances, reversing the strong growth achieved in 2013. Although a number of shows returned in 2014, the category was unable to replicate its 2013 performance, which included two Cirque Du Soleil productions (Ovo and Michael Jackson: The Immortal), Slava’s Snowshow and Empire.
Other categories to experience significant declines were Ballet and Dance and Theatre. For the Ballet and Dance category, there were declines in most states, with only Victoria and Tasmania achieving revenue growth. A number of popular international performances that occurred in 2013 did not return to Australia in 2014, including Ballet Revolución, Stomp and Blaze, along with tours by the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. This helps to explain the decline in revenue and attendances. In the Theatre category, the declines were largely driven by the eastern states (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland), with fewer performances staged by the AMPAG companies as well as fewer commercial performances.