China's youth enchanted by performing arts

Research shows people born after 1990 behind a massive growth in concert and theatrical ticket sales, Chen Nan reports.

Young Chinese are playing a more prominent role in fueling the country's performing arts market as more of them are going to concerts and theaters as part of their lifestyle and are showing a growing willingness to spend money for live performances.

Last year, young Chinese accounted for 55 percent of consumers of performing arts. This was a record high percentage, according to a report released by the Lighthouse Research Institute and ticketing firm Damai on March 25.

Seventy-two percent of concertgoers were people born after 1990. Among them, female consumers were paying more money for live performances.

The report said the total revenue of China's performing arts market reached about 20 billion yuan ($2.82 billion) in 2019, an increase of 7.29 percent year-on-year.

It is the first report centering on China's performing arts market by the Lighthouse Research Institute, a Chinese survey and market research platform under Alibaba Pictures that has served more than 100 companies ranging from film, performing arts to TV dramas and reality shows.

The report analyzed the performing arts market based on three major areas: theatrical production revenue was about 8.4 billion yuan; concert revenue was about 4.3 billion yuan; and the revenue of performances in tourism was around 7.4 billion yuan.

The revenue of performances in tourism grew fast with an increase of 9.58 percent compared to 2018. Concert revenue increased 6.88 percent year-on-year, with people born after 1990 and 2000 becoming the major consumers.