Musical residencies: Business is booming, but who pays the most for pop stars playing in Europe?
European cities are increasingly adopting the 'musical residency' model, where major artists perform multiple shows in a single venue rather than touring. While this trend boosts local economies, critics argue it increases costs for fans who must travel to specific cities.
Why it matters
This shift in the music industry changes how fans consume live entertainment and impacts the economic dynamics of major European cities.
Musical residencies: Business is booming, but who pays the most for pop stars playing in Europe? For decades, Las Vegas made musical residencies part of its identity. Instead of taking a show from city to city, major artists would stage the same production in a single venue for weeks or even months, and it was the audience who travelled to see it. Europe is now beginning to experiment with a similar formula.
Madrid is one of the most visible examples of this transformation. Shakira has headlined a 12-date residency in a temporary venue, the Shakira Stadium, set up at Iberdrola Music in Villaverde. Bad Bunny has concentrated ten concerts at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano as part of his tour, while Dani Martín has become the first artist to develop a residency at Madrid's Movistar Arena.
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