● Decline in Ticket Sales at Danish Venues

from VIP-News Magazine January 2023

● Stockholm venue Kägelbanan reopens

Esben Marcher Secretary general Dansk Live

Danish venues are experiencing a decline in ticket sales, particularly among the adult audience, according to Dansk Live, the trade organization for concert venues.

Many venues are struggling as the audience is not coming out to see concerts with new and adult programs, said Esben Marcher, secretary general of Dansk Live to DR in a longer interview.

While young people are actually going out more to hear music, the situation looks bad for the group of adult guests, particularly those who previously only went to concerts a few times a year.

Marcher attributed the decline in ticket sales to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the new habits it has created, as well as the fact that people are prioritizing their money. The lack of audience support is also bad news for talent development, as venues are essential for cultivating new talent and building an audience before moving on to bigger stages.

A survey conducted by Dansk Live among its members in October and November showed that the majority of participating venues experienced declining ticket sales in the past six months. But when the interest in smaller and newer names has declined, how do venues get the audience back on board?

At Dansk Live, it is well aware that new thinking is needed.

“Venues need to challenge the audience and offer them something they are not used to being offered. There needs to be some development, and venues need to adapt to a new reality where they cannot just rely on the audience coming for the music alone,” said Esben Marcher.

At some venues, subscriptions and annual passes have been introduced, offering discounts on a range of concerts with smaller or newer names.

If ticket sales cannot be increased, it will have consequences for the overall music scene, according to Marcher.

“Tour activities for musicians will be fewer and it will affect the overall economy in the ecosystem that there is less concert activity,” he concluded in the interview.