Festivals Grow As Clubs Continue To Decline, Says Report

More people than ever are attending live music events, with festivals showing the biggest increase in 2018 – however, the decline in nightclub venues is accelerating, with a number of high-profile closures around the world.

This is according to a report issued by IMS, the International Music Summit, at the start of its annual IMS Ibiza gathering of key players in the dance music industry.

While the report showed that in the US, 18% of the population visited a festival in 2017 compared to 23% in 2018, it also showed that, for instance, the number of nightclubs in UK fell by 21% in the 12 months to December 2018, compared to a 1% decline per year between 2013 and 2017.

It noted that several high-profile electronic music clubs have closed, including Output in New York.

The report highlighted drivers of this as including the attendance of fewer, bigger events, such as festivals; gentrification and property prices; health and wellbeing trends; social media; and online dating.

It also noted that after a peak in 2016, the proportion of visitors going to hotel clubs and pool parties in Las Vegas has dropped significantly, from 15% and 11% to 7% and 4% respectively.

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