“The show must go on. Inside my heart is breaking!”
(Queen)

After a two-year crisis, Ukraine has finally returned to the world concert map. Artists who canceled their performances in 2013-2014 have begun to return to us, and concerns about the political and security situation are no longer the reason for the rejection of managers of great artists for Ukrainian promoters. If we talk about the general trends that have developed today in the Ukrainian concert industry, it continues to grow. More and more people are willing to pay for concert shows, more and more artists are investing in the quality of their shows. This provoked the concomitant growth of the industry: technical and human resources appeared to create more complex productions, the qualification skills of professionals involved in the work of the industry improved.

However, according to Head of Concert.ua  Dmytro Feliksov, the growth rate of the concert market of Ukraine is slowing down and there are several reasons for this. “This is primarily a matter of infrastructure. Plus or minus a dozen concerts a year can be added to venues for 1000-10000 people, but this does not radically affect the overall dynamics. The second reason – the average ticket price. It slowed growth and reached +/- 800 UAH per ticket on average in the market,” Felixov explains.

If you look at the site “Concert.ua” and make an analysis of concerts for the spring season, you can draw the following conclusions. Approximately 50 large-scale concerts by Ukrainian and foreign performers are expected in three months. Basically, the concerts will take place in the following places: Atlas, CARIBBEAN club, Bel atage, StereoPlaza, Palace of Ukraine and Palace of Sports. Ghostemane, German-Swedish duo Lindemann, pop-rock trio X Ambassadors, Liam Payne from the band One Direction, LP, American rapper Lil Pump, and others will visit Ukraine. Ukrainian performers will include Druha Rika, KAZKA, Maria Tchaikovska, Jamala, etc.

On average, ticket prices for foreign performers are 800-1000 hryvnias, and domestic – 350-500 hryvnias. Almost all tickets for most of the above large-scale concerts have already been sold out, especially for super-popular events (world-famous performers). The number of spectators can vary significantly: concerts of very popular stars will be attended by an average of 3000-5000 people and lesser-known performers – 1000-1500 people.

“The Polish concert market is growing significantly every year. In addition, the logistical proximity for tours and visa-free travel between our countries opens up many opportunities for our artists. In order to increase their potential, the Ukrainian Institute and I are organizing a presentation of the Ukrainian delegation and artists at Poland’s largest showcase festival Enea Spring Break, which is attended by tens of thousands of music fans and the professional music community every year, “said Music Export Ukraine co-founder Darcya Tarkowska.

The most famous music stars have already announced their performances in Poland in 2020. If you look at the Polish site with tickets “Bilety.fm” and make an analysis of the concerts for the spring season, you can say with confidence that in comparison with Ukraine, more musical events are planned for the season. More than 60 large-scale concerts are expected on the Polish stage. James Blunt, one of the world-famous stars, will visit Poland in the spring to perform at the Arena Gliwice, which seats more than 17,000 people. A concert of the mega-popular singer Celine Dion is also planned. She will perform twice as part of the Courage World Tour at Atlas Arena and Tauron Arena. Of the domestic Polish performers in the spring season, Alicja Majewska will conduct a grand tour of the country’s cities. And the unsurpassed Doda z Orkiestra will perform in Poland.

The following conclusions can be drawn from the example of these and many other stars. The average ticket price for performers is PLN 100-150. It is about 600-1000 hryvnias. People buy tickets very quickly. The number of spectators in Poland, as well as in the Ukrainian concert market, can differ significantly. Concerts of very popular stars will be attended by an average of 5000-8000 people and lesser-known performers – 2000-3000 people.

Thus, we can conclude that the concert market of Ukraine does not lag far behind the Polish in the number of concerts and visitors. The only thing that differs significantly: a large number of world-famous performers come to Poland (which is not surprising), as well as in a European country there are more places that can accommodate more than 10,000 people. There are certain problems with the opening of huge concert halls in Ukraine. In general, in 2020 a large number of successful large-scale concerts are planned in both countries.