Music industry trade publication Pollstar has released it?s figures for the first half of 2002, regarding music concerts, whose going, and how much they?re spending.

As is the trend these days with sales of music CDs, concert tickets have dropped in the first half of 2002, from the first half of 2001. 10.6 million tickets were scooped up for the top 50 concert tours this past year, down 3% from the 10.9 million last year, but a whopping 18% down from the 12.9 million in 2000.

But don?t cry for the music industry just yet. There seems to be a direct connection between the lower attendance figures and the higher ticket prices. The average ticket price this year was $50.81 USD, compared to $45.65 USD last year, and 11.3% rise. By comparison, the inflation rate in the U.S. rose by only 3.6%. The result of this is a $538.2 million overall gross, up from $460 million last year, or a 17% increase.

The number 1 act in 2001 was the immortal Paul McCartney, grossing $52.8 million over 27 shows, at an average of $129.59. Age was the thing again at number 2 for perennial #1 hitmaker Elton John and Billy Joel, $44.4 million over 23 shows at $108.70 average. 10 dates were postponed on that tour when Joel came down with laryngitis. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were third at $34.9 million on 40 shows at $80.08 average.

When parents finally opened up their wallets for their kids (do you really expect to see many kids at the above shows), it was for ?N Sync, at $33.2 million and Dave Matthews Band at $24 million. Rounding out the top 10 were The Eagles, Green Day & Blink 182, Britney Spears ($6 million less than her ex), Jimmy Buffett and finally Barry Manilow, who was at $14.7 million.

Blink 182 & Green Day, despite all the salaries having to be paid on stage, had the best value of all these groups at $31.56 average ticket price at their 45 shows.

Last year, the grand total for receipts in 2001 was $1.75 billion. It is expected that number could go up with groups like Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and the all-time single tour record holder Rolling Stones beginning tours. The Stones pulled in $121.2 million in 1994.

As always, stay tuned to Andpop.com to find out when major performers will be in the Greater Toronto Area, and if you can?t be there, you never know when we?ll be interviewing one of those acts.






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