Non-English-speaking artists now account for 30% of Live Nation‘s 50 largest tours, up from 8% before the pandemic, Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference.
Berchtold said the company expects that share to exceed 50% and plans to increase arena investment in international markets. He said 47 of 75 international city markets have an arena suitable for these tours, including:
- Rome
- Istanbul
- Frankfurt
- Seoul
- Tokyo
- Manila
- Sao Paulo
- Rio
- Lima
“The vast, vast majority of our Venue Nation strategy with the arenas and other large venues is in international markets,” Berchtold said. “Arenas are our number one priority. So arenas, particularly in Europe and Asia, Latin America.”
Live Nation set a goal last year to host 225 million fans worldwide at shows in 2026; it has reached 175 million so far.
Berchtold added: “The number one artist post-COVID has been Bad Bunny, selling out stadiums globally. You’ve got K-pop, which has been a huge phenomenon, and Latin in general. The number two genre in Brazil is country music, so you’re seeing the explosion of artists; what used to be a local or regional genre is now truly global.”
