LPA Ticket Attendance and Revenue Survey 2015

Photo: Lore - Bangarra Dance Theatre, Jeff Tan

Classical MusicClick for more info

Between 2014 and 2015, the Classical Music category experienced a decrease in revenue and attendance. Gross revenue fell by 13.1% from $64.87 million to $56.40 million while total attendance fell by 2.1%. The decrease in average ticket price by 4.7% from $75.05 to $71.50 also contributed to the decline in gross revenue.

As with previous years, the majority of revenue generated in the Classical Music category came from the AMPAG companies, with 77% of total revenue coming from AMPAG performances. Major companies include The Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Musica Viva Australia.

Outside of AMPAG, there were further declines in revenue and attendance in 2015, with fewer performances overall. Major performances in this category included Anne Sophie Mutter and performances by the Australian World Orchestra. However, popular performer André Rieu did not return in 2014 or 2015, impacting on revenue and attendance in both years.

All states experienced a decline in revenue, particularly South Australia (23%) and Western Australia (18%). Increases in attendance were experienced by Tasmania (46%), Western Australia (11%) and Victoria (5%), while other states saw a decline in attendance.

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Classical Music - Revenue and Attendance (2004–2015)

Revenue ($) Growth (%) Total Attendance* Growth (%) Average Ticket Price ($)** Growth (%)
2004 $41,875,659 1,062,071 $43.21
2005 $54,395,768 29.9% 1,154,340 8.7% $52.95 22.5%
2006 $67,568,915 24.2% 1,571,748 36.2% $46.93 -11.4%
2007 $54,615,181 -19.2% 1,104,146 -29.8% $55.85 19.0%
2008 $107,050,440 96.0% 1,478,281 33.9% $84.81 51.9%
2009 $71,273,338 -33.4% 1,120,002 -24.2% $74.01 -12.7%
2010 $45,882,050 -35.6% 962,132 -14.1% $60.43 -18.3%
2011 $60,096,039 31.0% 1,048,115 8.9% $68.82 13.9%
2012 $60,884,219 1.3% 1,254,963 19.7% $60.34 -12.3%
2013 $70,481,841 15.8% 1,169,643 -6.8% $73.18 21.3%
2014 $64,870,493 -8.0% 1,015,122 -13.2% $75.05 2.6%
2015 $56,395,824 -13.1% 993,906 -2.1% $71.50 -4.7%

*Based on both paid and unpaid tickets

** Average Ticket Prices are calculated based only on paid tickets

State/Territory Breakdown Close Table

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Classical Music - Revenue by State/Territory (2015)

State/Territory Revenue ($) Proportion Industry Share Change From 2015) Attendance Proportion Industry Share Change From 2015)
NSW $22,822,871 40.5% -0.1% 315,867 31.8% -3.2%
VIC $16,842,115 29.9% 0.4% 344,888 34.7% 2.2%
QLD $5,769,958 10.2% 1.0% 112,295 11.3% -0.1%
WA $6,008,370 10.7% -0.6% 127,881 12.9% 1.5%
SA $2,751,481 4.9% -0.7% 40,881 4.1% -0.8%
ACT $1,160,376 2.1% -0.1% 19,262 1.9% -0.5%
NT/TAS $1,040,653 1.8% 0 32,832 3.3% 0%

Photo: Mendelssohn's Dream - Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Shane Reid

Supplementary Data

The Classical Music category drew attendance of 106,995 and generated $2.8 million in revenue which is quite sizeable given its high proportion of unpaid tickets (31%). With average attendance of 351 per performance and average revenue of $9,228 per performance, it is one of the higher yielding categories.

The Townsville Civic Theatre (QLD), Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (NSW) and City Recital Hall (NSW) staged very successful performances and contributed a substantial amount of revenue for this category.

Note: This data is supplementary to the 2015 primary ticketing survey data.

Photo: Mendelssohn's Dream - Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Shane Reid

Individual Category Results