Just When You Thought You Were Safe…
Live music, the putative savior of the music industry, took a hit in 2010, and that has serious implications for live sound systems providers and operators. According to Pollstar's end-of-year report, concert touring revenues declined steeply last year: ticket sales for the 50 biggest grossing tours globally fell 12 percent, to $2.93 billion, from $3.34 billion in 2009. In the U.S., the world's single biggest music market, the drop-off was even larger, with concerts here reporting a 15 percent decline to $1.69 billion. And those same top 50 acts played 8 percent fewer shows in 2010, says Pollstar.
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