Directori Catalan! - Catalan! Arts

estimate by the ARC of overall turnover
generated by its members for the year,
which is around €79.4 million, a 3.3%
increase over 2010. Most of this was
generated in Catalonia (78.5%), while
the rest was from the Spanish market.
The ARC suggests that this growth is
most probably due to the rise in average
ticket prices, with the increase in VIP
tickets offering additional services, and
the fact that government agencies have
started transferring part of the business
to professional companies in the sector.
Similarly, the ARC attributes the 12.8%
drop in turnover from concerts (from
15,220 to 13,628) and the 28% drop
in audience to the fact that there have
been considerably fewer free concerts
and low-cost performances by new
groups or less commercial or mediafriendly
music, as these have been
hardest hit by the recession. Conversely,
better established groups have maintained
or even improved their status, and
macro festivals like Primavera Sound,
Sónar, Cap Roig, Peralada, Mil·lenni,
Jazz de Barcelona or Guitarra were
resounding successes.
The figures showing the dramatic drop
in audience and concerts for 2011
provided by ARC are confirmed in
the study published by the SGAE. In
absolute terms, the number of paying
spectators in Catalonia decreased by
12.3%. This decrease, from 5.29 to 4.64
million spectators (a drop of 650,000),
is on a par with levels four or five years
ago. With respect to royalties, trends in
Catalonia are similar to those for Spain
overall: the €59.4 million collected in
2011, 19% of the total for Spain, represents
a decrease of 6.24%. In the section
specifically for music, income from
royalties from popular music concerts
and festivals (pop, rock, jazz, etc.) once
again fell: 8.15% less than in 2010,
from €4.8 to 4.4 million. The same trend
was more acute in other genres, such
as classical concerts, where there was
a sharp 21.8% drop in royalties (with
respect to an income of €365.911) or
dance orchestras, with a major decrease
of 12.1% in income from royalties (with
respect to an income of €883,727).
Given this scenario, music festivals have
become the main source of income for
the sector and for attracting the public.
The audiences at the main Catalan
events have grown and many have
looked for sponsorship. Attendance at
the 20 largest festivals in Catalonia
increased by 3.4% in 2011, to 831,248
spectators (from 804,139 the year before).
Furthermore, their capacity to draw
spectators continued to grow, reinforcing
the scene and finding new formulas
for cooperation. Much more than events
for the general public, the festivals have
proved a god-send in providing meeting
points for professionals in the sector
to project ideas, discuss proposals and
promote new artists in an increasingly
global market. The trend among professionals
has created a new platform
for analysis (although still lacking data
on results) along with a business space
aimed at showcasing proposals that
open up new markets.
Barcelona holds a key position in the
festival calendar in Catalonia. The close
to one million people attending the
50 or so popular music festivals of all
kinds and trends (from pop to jazz and
on to folk) in the Catalan capital in
2011 marked a 13.1% increase over
the previous year. This represents a
first-order cultural and tourist activity
with an economic impact of over €150
million a year, which, combined with
regular programming and contracting of
artists, makes the live music industry the
leading cultural driving force and asset
in Barcelona.
The data suggest regular programming
is withstanding the recession. In 2011,
Catalan concert venues scheduled
around 4,000 concerts with over one
million spectators, ending the season
with an increase in concerts (9.6%) and
a relative drop in spectators (-7.8%).
These data are provided by the Catalan
Concert Venues’ Association (ASACC),
which brings together over 50 member
facilities; although these are not the
main source of income, consumption by
the public dropped considerably.