Sydney cashes in on concert frenzy with $185m economic boost

Sydney's November concert explosion has generated more economic value than some small countries' annual GDP, proving live music is the new tourism goldmine.

Several high-profile musicians have played in Sydney over the last month and it's proven live music is the new tourism goldmine.

Should Sydney be considering rebranding November to ROCKvember?

The harbour city played host to some of the biggest acts in the world last month from Oasis and AC/DC to Olivia Dean and Addison Rae there was no shortage of incredible gigs to rock the spring evenings.

From Accor Stadium to Qudos Bank Arena, The Metro, Enmore Theatre, Hordern Pavilion and even at the Fleet Steps in the Botanic Gardens – the month of November was jam-packed, with 32 shows played across the city, squeezed into only 30 days, with many more acts to come in December.

It’s not just the acts that are coming in waves, as Sydney’s economy is set to reap the rewards from the plethora of gigs between November and December, with new economic analysis conducted by Chief Economist Besa Deda from the accounting firm William Buck, Business Sydney says it is set to be boosted by $185 million.

The overall concert season – which runs from October this year to February 2026 – is set to go even bigger, with the state economy set to get a $350 million boost, according to Venues NSW.

AC/DC preform at Accor Stadium on their power up tour. Picture: Thomas Lisson

More than 300,000 people alone saw Oasis’ unforgettable return at the start of the month, AC/DC’s two shows last weekend, and Metallica’s ear deafening show at Accor Stadium, while more than 100,000 people flocked to see superstar acts like Olivia Dean, Sam Fender, Rüfüs Du Sol, Ricky Martin and Lenny Kravitz respectively.

With the average ticket price for a gig in Australia around $125, that means punters spent more than $67 million on tickets just to see the major artists touring last month.

Oasis’ two shows in Sydney also saw an influx of visitors to the city with more than 9000 fans from overseas attending one of the two performances as well as 34,000 fans who crossed the border from other states.

Oasis perform at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park. Picture by Damian Shaw

Oasis perform at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: Damian Shaw

“This is exactly the kind of economic and cultural energy Sydney needs,” said Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney.

“These concerts are pure gold for the city filling hotels, energising local businesses, attracting visitors, and revitalising the night-time economy.”

Rockvember received a ringing endorsement from the state’s minister for music, John Graham.

“This November has been an absolute cracker and showed the insatiable appetite for the live music experience,” he said.

Kacey Musgraves played two sold out shows that the Sydney Opera House in November. Picture: Instagram

American Country music star Kacey Musgraves played two sold out shows that the Sydney Opera House in November. Picture: Instagram

Although it’s difficult for many to pick their favourite show in this plethora of amazing acts, Mr Graham was you could say ‘thunderstruck’ by a certain rock group from the Inner West, and a fellow homegrown act who have changed electronic dance for the better in this country.

“My highlight was seeing the old guard AC/DC packing out a stadium just a few hundred metres from the new guard Rufus Du Sol selling out an arena. That was a great moment for Australian music. My hope is that some of this love for live music spills into our smaller venues that are the hothouses for the next Rüfüs Du Sol or AC/DC.”

And while November well and truly went off, it was really just a warm up for the upcoming concert season which is expected to have a total of approximately 800,000 roll through the gates of major stadium gigs.

The Daily Telegraph, 15th of November, 20225, Metallica at Accor Stadium

Between now and February, Sydney will play host to head-turning acts like Doja Cat, Kendrick Lamar, Lewis Capaldi, Dom Dolla, Lady Gaga, and Ed Sheeran, with only limited tickets available.

In October the government opened expressions of interest to revitalise the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park with proposals to include a new 15,000 – 20,000 seat indoor arena.

“In years to come, we hope to have even more capacity for world class live music with a new arena at the Entertainment Quarter,” Mr Graham said.

Expressions of interest close on Friday.

Originally published as Sydney cashes in on concert frenzy with $185m economic boost