The live music boom that started with the end of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions hasn’t slowed down. Driven by gains in its concerts business and its increasingly international footprint, Live Nation’s consolidated revenue in the second quarter grew 16% to $7 billion, the company announced Thursday (Aug. 7). Adjusted operating income (AOI) grew 11% to $798 million.
The concerts segment had revenue of $5.95 billion, up 19% from the prior year period and a record for the second quarter. Concerts’ AOI grew 33% to $358.7 million, also a second-quarter record. Through July, over 130 million tickets were sold to Live Nation concerts, a 6% increase from the same period in 2024. Driven by big gains in foreign markets, global concert attendance rose 14% to 44 million fans. International fan attendance rose 30% and arena fan attendance was up 20%.
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Venue Nation, the company’s venue management and operations division, opened four amphitheaters in the U.S. and one in Canada during the quarter. Additional venues are expected in the second half of the year, and Venue Nation has projects underway in Mexico, Colombia and Canada.
Ticketmaster revenue grew 2% to $742.7 million as gross transaction value rose 7% to $9 billion — a record for the second quarter. AOI fell 1% to $290.1 million. The number of fee-bearing tickets sold rose 4% to over 83 million. International volume was up double digits while concert ticket volume increased by the high single digits. Sports and other content fell below 2024 levels.
Sponsorships and advertising revenue climbed 9% to $340.6 million. AOI rose 2% to $227.6 million. The division secured new agreements with Kraft Heinz, Airbnb and Samsung. Venue name-in-title sponsorships now include TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland.
Live Nation expects the second quarter momentum to carry through to the end of the year. Deferred concert event-related revenue — revenue collected for future events but not yet recognized as income— of $5.1 billion was up 25%. Second-quarter deferred Ticketmaster revenue of $317 million was up 22%. Venue Nation expects to host about 70 million fans in 2025, a double-digit increase from 2024. International fan growth is expected to increase by double digits in the second half of the year.