Welcome to 2024. And after some of the happenings in recent years, the new year portends to be pretty amazing, especially given the record-breaking $$$ grosses and attendance figures on the tour market in 2023. For more on this, check out our special, expanded Showtime feature on the “Top Tours of 2023” on page 18.
All of this bodes well for the live music market. While megastars such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé grab their (well-deserved) headlines for their blockbuster tours, successful outings such as these also stimulate the public to attend more live music events at all levels and in all genres. Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that audiences were terrified to buy tickets for any shows, and right now, 2023 has conclusively proven that the industry has re-emerged, vital and healthy.
There’s also a collateral secondary effect for the live audio community in general that goes beyond well those companies involved in mega-buck productions. The public’s growing awareness of high-performance audio keeps the fan experience high in all aspects of event production, which includes concerts, sports, live theater and houses of worship. Seemingly, every venue, large and small, is upgrading, not only for musicality, coverage smooth response, clarity and impact, but also considering the incorporation of immersive audio elements into new system designs.
The effect also spills over into pro audio tradeshows, which have returned with a flourish, and the strong interest in the upcoming NAMM Show (Jan. 25 to 28) and ISE Barcelona (Jan. 30 to Feb. 2) happening later this month reflect that reality.
For sound reinforcement providers, 2023 was great and, from all indications, 2024 will be even better. It’s a good feeling.
Travel safe!
Got a comment? Send George an email to george@fohonline.com
