Music industry sees 65% loss of turnover in 2020

This year’s Catalan Music Yearbook ‘L’Anuari de la Música 2021’ highlights the impact of the pandemic on the live music industry in 2020, in which 65% of turnover was lost, a drop of €70 million compared to 2019. 

In 2020, some 12,000 concerts were cancelled and the number of tickets sold plummeted by 91%. The records sector, less affected by the pandemic, still lost 23% of turnover, however, record production in Catalan increased by 31%.

The yearbook is an annual publication co-edited by the Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia (ARC) and Enderrock, a Catalan rock magazine. 

The contents include reports on the evolution of the live music industry, music consumption, the state of the record industry, interviews, opinions pieces from managers, journalists and politicians, and data on subsidies and the economic impact of the sector. 

First festivals without social distancing

As Catalonia begins to slowly get back to normality during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first major music festivals without social distancing were held in the country over the last weekend. 

Vida and Canet Rock both welcomed thousands of fans to Vilanova i la Geltrú and Canet de Mar respectively, where fans danced, sang, and enjoyed shows in conditions feeling like pre-pandemic times. 

All visitors had to wear face masks at all times, and had to test negative for Covid-19 on each day of the festivals. 

In total, 152 positive tests were found at Canet Rock, while Vida detected 51 positive cases at its seventh edition.