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HALF OF YOUROPE members welcomed more female than male visitors in 2018. Two of them are pictured here, at Rock Werchter in Belgium. Photo by Jokko

While a lack of female representation on festi-
val bills has been a topic of criticism over the past
months, the audience at festivals is tipped in favor
of women, at least at Yourope’s events. Fifty per-
cent of respondents said their audience in 2018
was 51 percent to 60 percent female.
The average number of performing artists per
A Case For Yourope: festival was 97 in 2018. The lineups of 54 percent
of respondents featured predominantly Europe-
Members Survey Says Most Fans an artists. This is a result of the fact that many
European markets have discovered their love for
Female, 25-29 Years Old their domestic talent in recent years, which is
also reflected in the recorded music sales in many
European countries.
By Gideon Gottfried
Seventy percent of respondents said they mar-
uropean festival association Yourope recently This deviates from what agents have been keted their events abroad in 2018, underlining the
Epublished the findings of a member survey telling Pollstar about an extended festival increased trend for music fans to make a holiday
evaluating the state of business for its member period in Europe, which nowadays lasted from out of their festival visit and leave their home
festivals in 2018, with key findings including that mid-May to mid-September. Speaking at countries to do so. According to Yourope, it also
an average of 97 artists play festivals and that Pollstar Live! 2019, WME’s Tony Goldring for shows the relevance of festivals as valuable assets
women attendees outnumber men. instance explained that while the current festival for the European culture sector.
Yourope comprises 101 members from 26 boom in Europe was great, it also cannibalized Marketing budgets ranging from €25,000 to
European countries ranging from large-scale the traditional touring business to some €50,000 to €100,000 to €250,000-plus were
festivals with more than 70,000 visitors to small extent. almost equally distributed among respondents.
and medium-sized events with less than 5,000 The main target group for Yourope festivals, 53 percent of festivals taking part in the survey
visitors. according to 48 percent of respondents, are 25 to received subsidies or public funding in 2018.
The survey tackled various aspects of the fes- 29 years old, followed by the 15- to 24-year-old The variety of Yourope events also shows in their
tival trade. It shows that the majority of Yourope demographic (25 percent). “Therewith festivals annual turnovers. Around 20 percent reported an
members are still running the traditional festival serve significantly younger target groups than annual turnover of less than €1 million, while 19
model: multi-day entertainment lasting between other live entertainment formats such as theatre, percent reported a turnover between €1 and €2.5
two and five days over the summer months (June classical music or event sports events,” the survey million. Most respondents (25 percent) said their
through August). report states. Continued To Page 16

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