The performing arts market - France (2024)

1.2 The European live performance market

In ****, the European live performance market was estimated at **.* billion euros, with very strong growth of +**.*% over the ****-**** period. The sector was severely impacted by the covid pandemic, and by ****, the European cultural and creative economyeuropean cultural and creative economy, which includes architecture, books, cinema, music, audiovisual, press, radio, video games, visual arts and performing arts, has lost around **% of its sales. Central and Eastern Europe were the areas hardest hit by the crisis, with CCI sales down **% in Lithuania and **% in Bulgaria and Estonia.

estimated revenue trends in the cultural and creative industries of the European Union Europe, ****-****, in billions of euros

Sales of cultural and creative industries Europe, ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

1.3 The French live entertainment market is growing strongly

The live entertainment market experienced difficult times in **** and **** with the health crisis. However, the year **** marked a significant recovery from this terrible period.

In ****, the French Ministry of Culture estimated that the level of live performance activity had increased by **% between **** and **** (***), and recorded a **% increase in revenues compared to the pre-covid period of **** . In ****, there were over ***,*** live performances, attracting ** million spectators and generating ticket sales of *.* billion euros[***]

Breakdown of performances by different categories of live entertainment France, in ****, in units

Music is the field with the highest sales, with * billion euros in box-office receipts in ****, ahead of theater at *** million. On the other hand, the theatrical offer is much more diversified, as can be seen in the graph above, since theater will account for ***,*** performances in ****, compared with **,*** for music.

Breakdown of live entertainment revenues France, in ****, in millions

The Comité National de la Musique(***).

evolution of box office receipts France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

The graph above shows the disaster that was **** and ****. We can also see the recovery in ****, which is unlikely to reach the **** level, but which remains encouraging for the future.

NAF code **.*Z includes support activities for the performing arts, ...

1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the live entertainment market

The Syndicat national du spectacle musical et de variété (***) predicts that the live entertainment sector will be hard hit by the crisis at the start of ****. Indeed, in the event of no shows being able to resume before January ****, the union estimates that the sector will lose *.* billion euros in sales. What's more, as the sector is mainly made up of small and medium-sized businesses, it is estimated that around **% of companies in the market are threatened with bankruptcy by **** or ****. Finally, in terms of employment, the impact of the crisis could lead to a -**% reduction in CDDU jobs and -**% in permanent jobs. [***]

Breakdown of PRODISS companies by financial health index France, ****, as % of member companies Source: ****

2.1 Household consumption of leisure and culture

In ****, household consumption of cultural services will be worth ***.*** billion euros. Within this broad category is a sub-category of particular interest to us: "cultural services". This sub-category includes "Cinema, live shows, museums, audiovisual subscriptions, photo printing developments, etc.". [***] The latter represents the *th largest item of expenditure on leisure and culture in France, with **.*% of the budget devoted to it, i.e. a total of **.*** billion euros for all French people.

Household consumption of leisure and culture France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

The graph above shows that the budget allocated to cultural services has fallen since ****. This share of the budget allocated to culture and leisure had nevertheless reached a peak in ****, with **.*% of it going to cultural services. However, the COVID-** crisis has passed and this share has fallen to **.*% in ****, then **.*% in ****.

A DEPS-Doc study, published in April ****, estimates that **% of French people visit cultural venues less frequently than they did before the health crisis, as **% of those questioned said they had not been out and about in the last twelve months, a higher proportion among older people.

2.2 Consumption of live shows

A survey conducted by Harris Interactive for the French Ministry of Culture in December **** reports on the behavior of the French towards live performances. It also takes into account music, theater and comedy festivals. In ****, **% of French people said they attended a live performance once a year, excluding festivals. Music concerts (***) and comedy shows are the most popular, with around **% of the population saying they never go, closely followed by plays, musicals and cabaret.

Percentage of the population attending a live performance at least * time a year France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

Share of population attending a live show at least once a year France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

Percentage of the population attending a classical music performance at least once a year France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

Generally speaking, the number of people attending this type of event has increased in recent years. In ****, **% of those surveyed said they attended a non-opera or classical music concert at least once a year, compared with **% in ****. For plays, **% in **** versus **% in ****. Comedy shows and musicals seem to have the strongest and most constant progression.

What types of performances do the French attend? France, in ****, in %

Young people make up the majority of those who attend ...

2.3 Demand strongly dependent on cultural capital

a survey carried out by Ifop in June **** informs us of the willingness of the French to attend live shows in the coming months, and highlights a greater appetite among socio-professional categories to go to live shows.

Do you intend to attend a music or theater festival and/or concerts and/or comedy shows this summer or in the coming months? France, ****, in % Source: ****

Thus, **% of survey respondents answered positively to the idea of going to a live show in the next few months. Here are some additional characteristics given by the survey of the latter:

**% of regular concert-goers answered yes **% of under-**s responded positively to the idea of going to a live performance **% of people from CSP + backgrounds said the same thing **% of wealthy people (***) also said yes

Level of education also seems to play a role in demand. The graph below clearly shows a greater interest from people with advanced education than from those with less.

Percentage of respondents who answered yes to the previous question, by level of education s France, ****, in Source: ****

2.4 The importance of the environment for French spectators

At a time when environmental protection and the fight against global warming have become crucial issues in recent years, the contribution of the entertainment sector to this cause is increasingly being questioned. As in the previous year, a significant majority of French people consider the commitment of shows and festivals to the environment to be crucial, and this proportion is even higher among young people. Among the specific actions most in demand are waste sorting, preservation of the event sitereduction of waste generated during the event, and efficient management of water resources.

Importance of the environmental dimension of live performances for the French France, in ****, in %

for * out of ** French people, the commitment of shows and festivals to the environment is important, a figure that rises among young people: **% of **-** year-olds consider it important.

A proportion of show-goers feel well informed about the environmental measures taken by organizers, although very few say they are "very well informed". Festivals, which often communicate more about their commitments, show slight improvements in this area.

Which measures are most important to the French? France, ****, in

What's more, a significant proportion of spectators indicate that they might consider not attending a show or festival, either ...

3.1 The different types of players in the sector

There are many different types of player in the live performance market:

Public players: either the State or local authorities. In ****, public spending accounted for **.*% of total performing arts sales in France. Performing arts companies, whether specialized in this field or integrated players present at different stages of the value chain. These performing arts companies accounted for **.*% of the sector's sales. Venue management: venue management accounted for *.*% of the sector's sales. Indirectly related activities: indirect spin-offs totaled **.*% of the sector's sales, and may concern the hotel, restaurant and tourism industries, whose consumption is directly induced by live performance.

Total performing arts sales France, ****, in Source: ****

Source: ****

The different types of player in the NAF nomenclature

Below, we look at the data provided by INSEE and ACOSS for the main NAF nomenclature categories related to the live performance sector. The following categories are considered:

**.**Z : Performing arts **.**Z: Support activities for performing arts **.**Z : Management of theaters

Establishments and workforce - **.**Z Performing arts France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The Performing Arts sector includes the following categories:

Production of shows, theatrical productions, concerts, opera performances, dance performances and other similar productions: activities of groups, circuses or companies, orchestras or other formations activities ...

3.2 Employment in the performing arts

In ****, the live performance sector employed more than ***,*** people, the vast majority of them working for live performance companies, and more than *,*** authors or content creators.

Workforce in the cultural and creative industries France, ****, in thousands and as a % of total Source: ****

Source: ****

In ****, there were over **,*** companies in France specializing in live performance and for which this was the main activity. These businesses can be private companies, companies linked to the public sector or companies providing technical services. Compared to ****, the number of companies operating in the sector is up +*.*%, and almost two-thirds of companies in the sector are over * years old. Companies in the live performance sector are predominantly small (***). On average, these companies employ ** people.

Types of company :

- Public sector: *,*** companies (***)

- Private sector: **,*** companies (***)

- Technical services: *,*** companies (***)

The sector is thus made up of a wide variety of companies, including

- * national theaters

- ** national and regional drama centers

- ** national choreographic centers

- ** national street arts centers

- ** national circus arts centers

- * national centers for musical creation

- ** scènes nationales

- ** modern music venues

- *** city theaters

- ** opera houses

- ** national or regional orchestras

- ** zeniths

- *** cabarets/music halls

- ...

3.3 Sector concentration

In ****, the Centre National de la Musique has published a report on the activity of musical and variety shows. However, given the complicated context of **** and **** for the sector, which does not reflect the current situation in light of the lifting of restrictions, this same report is based mainly on **** to reflect the structure of the market. The live performance sector is a highly complex one, as it is concentrated in terms of sales and attendance, but brings together a very wide diversity of players. In ****, the ** biggest live shows (***), which accounted for just **% of performances but **% of admissions and over **% of box-office revenues.

Concentration of the music and variety show sector (***) France, ****, in Source: ****

Breakdown of paid performances by venue France, ****, in % Source: ****

The same concentration can be seen between the different types of venue. Live performance venues specializing in current music and variety are those that bring together both the largest share of performances (***). However, it is interesting to note that some venues do not necessarily account for a large proportion of the number of performances, but do account for a much larger share of total revenues. Multi-purpose venues, for example, account for only *% of the total number of ...

3.4 The different venues and their characteristics

Venues more geared to pop or variety concerts:

Source: ****

More classic venues :

Source: ****

4.1 Offer typology

There is a very wide range of live performances, from a contemporary music concert to an opera performance, a festival, a play or a comedy show.

Breakdown of paid performances by type France, ****, in % Source: ****

Rap, hip hop, reggae shows or electronic music and pop rock concerts are the types of shows that attract the most spectators on average, with higher average numbers of admissions per performance than other types of music and variety shows. Rap, hip hop is the category with the strongest growth in attendance and ticket sales. Declines were recorded for jazz, world and traditional music, chanson and variety.

Average number of admissions per performance (***) France, ****, in units Source: ****

Geographical distribution

The performing arts offer is unevenly distributed across France: the Ile de France region accounted for almost half of all paid performances in ****, well ahead of the PACA region (***).

Regional share of paid performances France, ****, in Source: ****

These same disparities are found in the regions' share of total box office revenues for live entertainment in France, but with lower proportions. Ile-de-France accounts for **.*% of total box office revenues, almost ** percentage points less than its weight in the number of performances. Share of regions in total box office ...

4.2 Overview of prices and costs

Prices vary widely according to the type of performance: the average price ranges from €** for jazz, blues and improvised music to €** for cabaret.

Average ticket price excluding tax per paid admission France, ****, in Source: ****

Live performance costs

For any show, we need to calculate its production cost (***).

> Production costs

Many factors play a part in the production cost of a live show. The most important of these are the salaries (***) are generally taken into account:

- Administrator (***), €*,*** gross per month

- Director, €*,***

- Artists (***), €*,***

- Stage manager (***), €*,***

- Set designer (***), €*,***

- Costume designer (***), €*,***

Gross monthly salaries are given as an example, and are based on the recommendations of Jurisculture and the Centre national du théâtre[***] for a show produced by a non-profit organization and featuring * actors. The salaries to be paid to the star performers will be out of all proportion to them. Not everyone will be working on the project for the same length of time. In the production budget, their respective salaries will be weighted in proportion to their actual involvement (***).

In addition to salaries and expenses, there are the various technical costs of production: costume making, set construction, travel to meet partners, rehearsal room rental, insurance, ...

5.1 Regulations for entertainment companies

This entire section is taken directly from the Guide des obligations socialesissued by the French Ministry of Culture. All legal obligations are listed in this guide.

"There are several legal obligations for entertainment contractors. They are summarized below:

You must register your company with URSSAF Hold an entertainment contractor's license, as this is a regulated profession (***)".

5.2 Show regulations

"Prior to the start of a show, a number of formalities must be completed:

Declaration prior to hiring employees Application for an object number Drawing up an employment contract Check that the employee is in possession of a medical fitness certificate less than two years old, issued by the occupational medicine department at the time of the periodic check-up Include the employee in the single personnel register, which must include a number of compulsory details, such as the employee's name and date of entry and exit Draw up pay slips and pay your employees their due remuneration

5.3 Obligations of the show entrepreneur

"The show entrepreneur must also ensure in particular :

Payment of intellectual property rights (***) Use a ticketing system that complies with the relevant standards and is subject to : VAT at the reduced rate of *.*%, in particular for theater, song and poetry shows, circuses, concerts, variety shows (***), choreographic or lyrical shows, with ticket receipts for the first *** performances of certain shows being subject to the reduced rate of *.*%"

6.1 Segmentation

As we have seen, the live performance market is concentrated in terms of revenues and admissions, but absolutely atomized in terms of the number of performances and jobs.

The most important players, in terms of size and sales, are :

Integrated players in the live entertainment sector, covering the entire value chain, including Live Nation, a major player Venue chain managers, The record majors, whose move into show production was prompted by the CD crisis, Ticketing operators, Production companies and show producers (***) Major festivals.

The live performance market is then supported by a vast, highly fragmented economic fabric, comprising independent venues, second-tier festivals, technical assistance metechnical assistance companies, intermittent workers and intermittent workers' associations, artists, directors, security companies, etc.

Venues exist in as many different forms as there are shows:

Specialized venues (***) Multidisciplinary venues (***) Multi-purpose facilities (***) Exhibition and convention centers Open-air venues, often linked to festivals

• Live Nation France
• Fimalac Entertainment
• Lagardère groupe
• Vivendi
• Gérard Drouot Production
• STAGE Entertainment
• Warner Music Group
• Sony Music Entertainment France
• Ticketmaster France
• Digitick (Vivendi)
• AEG Anschutz
• L’Olympia
• Accor Arena (Accor groupe)
• Le Lido Cabaret (Accor groupe)
• Le Cirque du Soleil
• France Galop
• Decibel Production (Warner Group)
• Movinmotion
• Angers Nantes Opéra
• Theaomai