Dainty, Frontier, Chugg, make 2014’s global success list

Promoters Dainty Group, Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment were among the Australians who made a mark on the global live scene in 2014.

The Billboard year-end Top Boxscore, revealed last night, put Dainty at #5 in the Top 25 Grossing Promoters. The concert and theatrical company turned over US$136.9 million after drawing 1.1 million to 152 shows.

Frontier Touring was at #8, with a $117.7 million gross, after 85 shows drew 922,863 punters.

Chugg Entertainment ranked #13, making over $54 million from 184 shows, which were attended by a total audience of 497,973.

Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium was listed at #3 in the Top 10 Stadiums rankings, which was topped by New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium and the Tokyo Dome. The Melbourne venue, which has a capacity of 53,400, had a yearly tally of $29.5 million. Its six music shows drew over 230,000.

Bluesfest was the sole entry in the Festivals section, making $13.1 million after drawing a total of 104,526 over five days during the Easter break.

Two venues made it into the 15,000-capacity + section. The 21,000 capacity Allphones Arena in Sydney was at #5 after reporting a gross of $59.5 million drawing a total of 554,051 people to 60 shows. Melbourne’s 16,820-seater Rod Laver Arena was at #6 with total takings of $56.6 million with 473,181 punters attending 47 shows.

It was celebrations for Perth Arena, which topped the 10,001 to 15,000 capacity list. The 15,000 capacity venue hosted 45 shows to 442,889 payers and grossed $60 million. The 13,500 capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre grossed $42.1 million from 54 shows drawing 385,713. Sydney’s Qantas Credit Union Arena’s gross of $16.9 million from 171,472 fans doling out for tickets to 29 shows, got placed at #9.

Tours by One Direction with Sydney’s 5 Seconds of Summer and Justin Timberlake blitzed the global box office in 2014, Billboard reported. Their combined tours grossed close to $500 million and sold over 5 million tickets. One Direction and 5SOS took in $290.1 million to 3.4 million fans, while Timberlake, at #2, grossed $203.8 million to 1.7 million fans.

It was a magnificent year for Beyonce, whose solo dates as well as those with Jay-Z moved so much money they were both included in the Top 15. As a couple they were at #8 raking in $95.9 million, while she made $69 million on her own and ranked #12.

In 2014, The Rolling Stones were at #3 with a gross of $143.4 million to 780,970 fans, followed by The Eagles ($127.9 million; 954, 954), Katy Perry ($108 million; 1 million), Paul McCartney ($107.2 million; 754, 657), Bruno Mars ($96.5 million; 1.2 million), Beyonce & Jay-Z ($95.9 million; 832, 769), Lady Gaga ($80.6 million; 894,763) and Michael Buble ($74.1 million; 753,616).

Takings from the live sector were slightly down from 2013 but still had a strong showing. North American grosses hit record grosses up 3.4% while attendance was down slightly by 1.5%. Globally, the figures were down. After big increases in 2013, grosses dropped 3.8% and attendance was down 6.3%.

But executives that Billboard spoke to are setting up for another strong year of growth in 2015 with superstars U2, Neil Diamond and AC/DC havingalready announced tours, as have Ariana Grande, Sam Hunt and 5 Seconds of Summer.

Photo: Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood at Hope Estate, Hunter Valley in November
Credit: Frontier Touring