American pop princess Chappell Roan will headline the Laneway Festival with a six-date tour Down Under.
The announcement of the headline international act for one of Australia's most successful festivals comes as industry figures show record-breaking revenue and attendance for live shows nationally.
Punters bought more than 31 million tickets to live acts in 2024, with an overall ticket revenue of $3.4 billion, a 6.9 per cent year-on-year revenue increase, and a massive 71 per cent jump on pre-COVID 2019.
The increases have been driven by a boom in international acts and tours, as well as rising operating costs, according to the annual snapshot from industry group Live Performance Australia.
Laneway's return in February will include the festival heading to the Gold Coast for the first time, as well as dates in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
As well as Roan, the festival slate also features British indie rockers Wolf Alice and Wet Leg, along with US outfit Mt Joy.
A first-release pre-sale ticket to Laneway will set punters back $229, with later releases increasingly expensive, and VIP tickets priced at $360.
Average ticket prices for live shows - including dance, comedy, classical concerts and theatre - reached a record $115 in 2024, an increase of just over three per cent, according to Live Performance Australia.
The contemporary music sector recorded attendances of just over 14 million, bringing in its highest-ever revenue of $1.8 billion, making it once again by far the biggest live performance sector.
That's despite some of Australia's biggest music festivals, such as Splendour in the Grass, Groovin' the Moo, Spilt Milk, and Harvest Rock, not going ahead in 2024.
While the overall picture is positive, the report said, growth has been patchy, reflecting both changing audience behaviour and a challenging economic environment.
Other disciplines including musical theatre, circus, opera and comedy saw year-on-year declines in both attendance and revenues.
Live Performance Australia chief executive Eric Lassen called for a production incentive for live shows, similar to existing screen and digital games initiatives.
"Australians clearly value live performance but it's also a highly discretionary spend for most households," he said.
"Against a backdrop of much higher costs of bringing live performance to the stage, audiences are being more selective in how they spend their arts and entertainment dollar."
NSW and Victoria remained Australia's biggest spenders on live shows generally, together accounting for 70 per cent of total revenue.
Regional Australia's contribution has been measured for the first time, with 3.2 million tickets sold, accounting for 10 per cent of the nation's attendance at live shows.
