In this piece we share the findings of a live industry report out via BeeBee, an independently operated mobile-based news source. It provides a really detailed picture of where we stand as of Q1 2015.
Graphic 1: Number of Events
The number of livehouse performances & shows that took place in the first quarter was 1264, featuring a total of 1648 performing artists. That’s a 27.95% increase over 2014.
Graphic 2: Comparison of Shows by Individual / Multi-artist Lineups / Foreign Performing Artists
The number of shows by individual artists was 863 (68.3%) versus 401 multi-artist lineups. 290 shows featured foreign artists – an increase of 77 (1.3%) on 2014.
*This is a little confusing given most shows will have a support.
Graphic 3: Distribution of Shows by Region
Season 1 shows were distributed as follows:
Beijing 330
Shanghai 143
Guangdong 133
Chongqing 60
Sichuan 52
Hubei 44
Others 502
Graphic 4: The Top 10 Cities with the Most Shows
1.Beijing
2.Shanghai
3.Guangzhou (up 5)
4.Shenzhen
5.Chongqing (up 1)
6.Chengdu (down 3)
7.Tianjin (up 2)
8.Wuhan (down 1)
9.Changsha (down 4)
10.Shamen (new)
Notably, Zhengzhou was replaced in the rankings by Xiamen, and the distribution of shows in the top 20 cities (81.4% of shows) dropped 4.1% indicating there have been a number of new entrants.
Graphic 5: Distribution of Shows Featuring Foreign Acts by Province
Beijing 31.4%
Shanghai 21.5%
Guangdong 12.4%
Fujian 5.5%
Hubei 5.5%
Chongqing 4.8%
Others 18.9%
Unsurprisingly, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou together account for over 65% of all performances featuring foreign artists. Fujian, Hubei and Chongqing host over 15%.
Graphic 6: A Breakdown of Shows by Genre
From left to right:
hardcore, rap, mixed genres, punk, folk, pop, jazz, metal, indie, reggae, experiment, electronic
This chart may be a bit of a shocker for some, as it positions folk as being the most widely performed genre in the country at this time. We would agree the genre has seen a resurgence at the least, though would expect this to be a seasonal phenomenon (e.g. electronic would surge around Q3).
Graphic 7: Pricing
The average ticket price of a show in S1 2015 was 55.4RMB. Ticketed events for individual performing artists were priced at an average of 61.4RMB (+4.2RMB) versus 42.3RMB (-5.2RMB) for multi-artist lineups. Tickets for foreign artists naturally attracted a premium, standing at 67.9RMB, though this is down 9.9RMB on 2014.
Graphic 8: Pricing Trends for Jan / Feb
The first thing that comes to mind is the Bund stampede in Shanghai, which put authorities across the country on high alert and caused a number of fairly high-profile mid-level events to get cancelled. This could have contributed to the dip.
Graphic 9: Pricing by Genre
To keep you on your toes they’ve changed up the order of the genres. From left to right:
electronic, indie, metal, jazz, reggae, pop, folk, punk, mixed genres, experiment, rap, hardcore
Indie, metal and pop shows attracted a relatively higher ticket price – we’re not sure if this accounts for tiered ticketing or VIP ticketing packages.
Graphic 10: Average Price by Region
Northeast 55.8 rmb (12.2% higher)
North China 51.2 rmb (7.1% lower)
East China 60.9 rmb (2.6% lower)
Central South area 62.9 rmb (9% higher)
West area 49.3 rmb (10.1% higher)
The drop of prices in the East and North perhaps signals that the Beijing and Shanghai markets are being over-served, resulting in decreased demand which is influencing pricing strategies.
Graphic 11: Top 10 Livehouses with the Steadiest Prices
Yugong Yishan(愚公移山) in Beijing and MAO Livehouse in Shanghai are on a par.
5% variation: Kui(Lanzhou), 蓝溪酒吧 (Beijing) and 13CLUB (Tianjin)
10% variation: MAO Livehouse (Beijing), The Little Bar (Chengdu), Nuts (Chongqing), Banjo Music Bar (Liaocheng) and Hotcat Club(Beijing)
Graphic 12: The Day with the Most Shows
A total of 45 shows took place around the county on March 21st, 2015 (Saturday).
Graphic 13: The Top 20 Livehouses by Shows Hosted
Yuyintang (育音堂) 64
蓝溪酒吧 62
江湖酒吧 59
黄昏黎明 DDC 52
On Stage 46
红糖罐 40
Nuts livehouse 39
MAO (Beijing) 39
VOX Livehouse 38
The Little Bar 31
46 livehouse 30
AOTU Studio (凹凸空间)
REAL LIVE
SCHOOL
Yugong Yishan 愚公移山
7 Livehouse
13 club
Hotcat Club
Halo Club
The Velvet Underground
Top 20 livehouses listed here host 56.57% of all the shows in the country.
Graphic 14: The Show with The Most Bands
Changzhou Rock Assembly
January 1st 2015 @ Maze livehouse
Free entrance
12 bands
Graphic 15: The Most Expensive Show
Arch Enemy
March 10th 2015 @ 愚公移山 (Beijing)
March 11th 2015 @ Qianshuiwan Culture & Art Center( Shanghai)
Price: 480 RMB
Top 40 Artists with the Most Shows
1-10
Candy Monster (糖果怪兽) /卫均 / 语 / 张尕怂 / 丁恩浩 / Shino (林晓培) / Newen / Searching For Something / Dorena / Miss Mix
11-20
NIURA / The Bottom Line / 刘冬虹 / 马頔 / SMZB (生命之饼) / 天火 / 王亚伟 / 黄晶 / GALA / TOOKOO
21-40
柴海清 / 陈麦麒 / 陈小飞 / 柳晓 / 痛仰 / 子默 / Adept / Krypton’s Sons / Nova Heart / The Plum Trees / Whai坏 / 陈粒 / Massacre of Mothman (蛾人大屠杀) / 高宇婧 / 荷马先生 / 王洪文 / 麦莎乐队 / Mr. Honey (蜜糖先生) / 树子 / 习明