Live Nation says non-English acts now drive 30% of its top tours
Non-English-speaking artists now account for 30% of Live Nation's top 50 tours, up from 8% before the pandemic.
The figure was given by Joe Berchtold, the company's President and Chief Financial Officer, at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference on September 9. Speaking to Goldman Sachs analyst Stephen Laszczyk, Berchtold said over half of Live Nation's artists will soon not be U.S./U.K. English-speaking artists, Music Business Worldwide reported.
That shift is being driven by audiences outside the United States. A record 159 million people attended Live Nation shows in 2025. It was the first year more fans attended outside the U.S. than inside it.
The rooms have not kept up. Berchtold said 47 of the top 75 markets outside the U.S. lack sufficient modern arena infrastructure. He described those markets as either missing a modern-form arena or being underpenetrated, meaning they have far fewer large, year-round indoor venues than demand would support.
He named Rome, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Seoul, Tokyo, Manila, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Lima among the large cities without that kind of building. The gap is now shaping where the company puts its money, with growth forcing a focus on new arenas, IQ Magazine reported.
Live Nation now operates 25 arenas globally, up from five a decade ago. The buildings sit inside Venue Nation, the company's venue-operating arm, which runs amphitheatres, clubs, theatres and arenas. Berchtold said 85% of fans at its operated arenas are in international markets.
What makes this stand out for concertgoers is the practical side. More tours from Latin America, Asia, Africa and non-English-speaking Europe need large indoor stages with heavy roofs for lighting and sound, freight access for trucks, and seats that can be sold through winter. Without them, tours skip cities or play smaller rooms than the crowd could fill.
