Earlier than the pandemic, 8% of Dwell Nation‘s prime 50 excursions had been by non-English-speaking artists. That determine now stands at 30%.
The figures come from Joe Berchtold, Dwell Nation’s President and Chief Monetary Officer, talking at Goldman Sachs‘ Communacopia + Expertise Convention final Wednesday (September 9).
Quickly sufficient, Berchtold expects the non-English-language share of the chart to surpass 50%.
“It’s not going to be that lengthy the place I’m sitting right here saying now over half of our artists are usually not U.S., U.Okay. English-speaking artists,” Berchtold advised Goldman analyst Stephen Laszczyk.
Berchtold framed the stay enterprise as one which has barely began its worldwide part.
“I believe we’re completely nonetheless within the early innings,” mentioned Berchtold. “Most of what we’ve seen within the final couple of a long time remains to be largely a U.S., Western Europe phenomenon.”
Over half of Dwell Nation‘s followers are actually primarily based in markets outdoors the US – a rustic that accounts for 5% of the worldwide inhabitants however nonetheless round half of LN’s enterprise.
“As we give attention to this as a really world enterprise, it has great runway.”
Joe Berchtold, Dwell Nation
“Latin America is up for us 15 instances previously 10 years,” mentioned Berchtold. “It’s nonetheless 1/tenth the extent of exercise because the U.S. is. Japan, large market, is 40% of the exercise degree of the U.S. on a per capita foundation.
“Even Western Europe can develop one other 25%. So I believe as we give attention to this as a really world enterprise, it has great runway.”
A report 159 million individuals attended Dwell Nation exhibits in 2025. As beforehand reported, it was the primary yr within the firm’s historical past by which extra followers attended its concert events outdoors the United States than inside it.
Berchtold mentioned Dwell Nation has bought over 155 million tickets thus far this yr, up 12% year-over-year, and is on observe to succeed in round 175 million followers in 2026, transferring towards a longer-term goal of 225 million set at its investor day final November.
The constraint on that worldwide progress, Berchtold defined, just isn’t demand: it’s buildings.
He advised the Goldman Sachs convention that 47 of the highest 75 markets outdoors the US lack ample trendy enviornment infrastructure.
This contains large cities, mentioned Berchtold: “Rome, Istanbul, Frankfurt in Europe. It’s Seoul, Tokyo, and Manila in Asia. Latin America, you’ve acquired São Paulo, Rio, Lima.
“So very, very large cities. I’m not form of attempting to cherry choose these 47 cities you haven’t heard of. These are large markets that lack the infrastructure.
“In order we glance to alternatives to both purchase or construct arenas, modernize them, we predict that may assist drive our general progress when it comes to bringing extra followers, driving extra sponsorship, driving our ticketing enterprise and fueling the general system.”
Dwell Nation now operates 25 arenas globally, up from 5 a decade in the past, with 85% of the followers at these arenas in worldwide markets.
The variety of followers it hosts at its personal venues has roughly doubled over the identical ten years, to round 75 million. Berchtold mentioned 70% of that enhance has come from worldwide markets.
“So I believe subsequent yr, we’ll see – I believe we’re going to begin to unlock much more of the fan rely from the arenas that we’re simply getting open, the arenas that we’ve introduced that we’re buying this yr,” mentioned Berchtold.
At its investor day in November 2025, Dwell Nation put 48 giant venues in its pipeline, at a capital value of round USD $5.2 billion.
Of these 48 deliberate venues, over half – 28 – are ex-US, Jordan Zachary, Co-President of US Concert events and President of Areas, mentioned on the time.
Dwell Nation has accomplished 4 enviornment acquisitions for the reason that begin of 2026, in Santiago, Bangkok, Milan, and Buenos Aires.
In August, it agreed to accumulate a majority stake in three Prague venues, together with the 20,000-capacity O2 enviornment, in what it known as its largest funding in Central and Jap Europe so far.
Two of the cities Berchtold named at Goldman Sachs are already on the corporate’s construct record.
Dwell Nation is constructing a 21,000-capacity enviornment in São Paulo, because of open in 2028, and has submitted plans for Lima Music Area, an 18,500-capacity indoor venue in Santiago de Surco.
Berchtold credited social platforms and streaming providers with altering which artists can fill these buildings.
“There’s not an artist on the market who’s not utilizing the social media platforms, the TikToks, YouTubes, Instagrams, to develop their manufacturers,” he mentioned. “They’re clearly utilizing the DSPs to democratize the distribution so you’ll be able to have followers in every single place.
“That is far and away from the previous U.S., Western Europe, U.Okay. dominated artists on the market. No. 1 artist post-COVID has been Dangerous Bunny, promoting out stadiums globally.
“Clearly, Okay-pop has been an enormous phenomenon. Latin generally. The No. 2 style in Brazil is nation music.”
Ticketmaster will start promoting tickets in Japan across the finish of the yr.
Again within the US, Berchtold mentioned the economics of reaching a distinct segment viewers in a market equivalent to Los Angeles have modified with it.
“But when you concentrate on it,” mentioned Berchtold, “if you happen to’re an artist of a really particular style, you solely want 0.1% of the inhabitants in L.A. to be your group, proper?
“So actually, what’s occurring is that they’re in a position to attain that 0.1% way more successfully than you ever may earlier than as a result of there’s at all times one individual within the group who’s the fan, who’s following the artist, who learns concerning the present in social media, who shares the music with their associates and brings them to the present.”
Requested how 2027 may form up, Berchtold recommended the worldwide story will ultimately cease being a narrative in any respect.
“I believe worldwide markets will lead our progress,” mentioned Berchtold. “However I believe that’s going to begin to be an irrelevant assertion.”Music Enterprise Worldwide
