NEW YORK: Violence has once again struck music fans with a suicide attack on Ariana Grande’s Manchester show, but the booming concert industry hopes to withstand the new shock. The assaults come after a decade of soaring growth across the Western world in live music, which has far surpassed sales of recordings as the key money-maker for artists. Joe Reinartz, news editor at the live music industry publication Pollstar, said he expected more parents to think twice about taking children to concerts or other crowded places. “Right now the answer it’s just too early to tell and nobody has a crystal ball,” Reinartz said of the Manchester attack’s impact on live music. Analytical firm IbisWorld estimates that live music is a $28 billion a year industry in the United States alone, with growth averaging five percent annually for the past five years.

Source: Manila Times May 23, 2017 22:30 UTC