Big Concerts
Big Concerts is a Cape Town-based concert promoter and Live Nation subsidiary that has promoted 2,600+ shows and 450+ international artists in South Africa since 1989, selling tickets primarily through Ticketmaster for concerts, festivals, and corporate events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Big Concerts does
Big Concerts International (Pty) Ltd is a South African concert promotion company headquartered in Cape Town that operates as the local promoter of international live entertainment in the South African market. Founded in 1989 by Attie Van Wyk, the company promotes concerts, festivals, comedy events, and theatrical productions featuring international and local artists at major venues including FNB Stadium (Johannesburg), Grand Arena GrandWest (Cape Town), and Sunbet Arena Time Square (Pretoria). It is the only African promoter to feature on the Pollstar list of Top 100 promoters and has produced more than 2,600 shows with over 450 international artists, including U2, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, and Beyonce, claiming cumulative ticket sales of more than 13 million.
The company operates as a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment and runs its events through Ticketmaster South Africa as the primary ticketing partner, augmented by its own website (bigconcerts.co.za) and venue box offices. Its product portfolio is a unified live entertainment offering rather than a modular platform: event ticketing, the Big Concerts Fan Club loyalty program (which provides presale access), corporate and private events, merchandising, concessions, hospitality, and sponsorship activation under the WE CARE Corporate Social Initiatives sub-brand. Differentiators cited by the company include 35+ years of operating history, stage-of-record role in post-cultural-boycott South African concert history, and preferred-access partnership with Mastercard's Priceless program alongside brand sponsorships such as Castle Lite.
The revenue model blends transaction fees from ticket sales (primary stream) with advertising/sponsorship revenue from partners such as Mastercard and Castle Lite, plus hardware/merchandise sales at venues and professional services revenue from corporate and private events. Ticketing is non-subscription based with prices set per event through Ticketmaster; pricing models and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Marketing is concentrated on direct-to-consumer ticket sales driven by fan club presales, Mastercard preferred access, and general public sale cycles, with a strong organic social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube) and email newsletter as the main acquisition channels.
Big Concerts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Concerts
- Legal name
- Big Concerts International (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://bigconcerts.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Big Concerts is a Cape Town-based concert promoter and Live Nation subsidiary that has promoted 2,600+ shows and 450+ international artists in South Africa since 1989, selling tickets primarily through Ticketmaster for concerts, festivals, and corporate events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Concerts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Entertainment Promotion
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB), Festival & Event Producers/Organizers (MPAIAFAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)
Keywords
Where Big Concerts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Big Concerts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Live Event Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for concerts, festivals, and live entertainment events across South African venues. Tickets sold through Ticketmaster and the Big Concerts website.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships including partnerships with brands like Castle Lite and Mastercard for event branding, presale access, and promotional activities.
- Merchandising: Sale of event merchandise at venues and through official channels.
- Corporate and Private Events: Corporate events, private functions, hospitality, and concessions services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Big Concerts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Concerts is South Africa's leading concert promoter, producing and staging international live music concerts, festivals, and entertainment events across major South African venues such as FNB Stadium, Grand Arena GrandWest, and Sunbet Arena. Founded in 1989, the company promotes shows by international artists, sells tickets through Ticketmaster and its own website, and offers ancillary services including event merchandising, corporate sponsorships, hospitality, and concessions.
Product overview
Big Concerts is a South African live entertainment promotion company founded in 1989, operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product portfolio consists of the Big Concerts Website (the primary digital platform for event discovery and ticket purchases), the Big Concerts Fan Club (a loyalty/presale program), Event Ticketing services, Corporate Events & Sponsorship offerings, and the WE CARE Corporate Social Initiatives sub-brand. The company promotes concerts, festivals, comedy events, and theatrical productions featuring international and local artists, selling tickets primarily through Ticketmaster with integration on their own website. As part of the Live Nation Entertainment group, Big Concerts leverages global entertainment industry infrastructure while maintaining localized South African operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Event Ticketing Ticket sales and distribution for concerts, festivals, comedy shows, and other live entertainment events staged by Big Concerts at major South African venues, primarily sold through Ticketmaster South Africa and the Big Concerts website for individual fans and general public attendees.
- Big Concerts Fan Club A free loyalty/presale program that provides registered members with exclusive presale ticket access, latest artist announcements, and newsletter updates for upcoming Big Concerts events.
- Corporate Events, Sponsorships & Hospitality Live entertainment promotion and event services including merchandising, brand sponsorships, corporate events, private functions, concessions, and hospitality offerings, primarily sold to brand partners and corporate clients seeking audience reach.
- Event Merchandise Sale of official event and artist merchandise at venues and through official channels tied to Big Concerts-promoted concerts and festivals.
Companies that use Big Concerts
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Big Concerts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Big Concerts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- The Sunflower FundminorCharity of choice since 2018. Big Concerts supports The Sunflower Fund which fights blood diseases like Leukaemia through stem cell donor recruitment. Donations of R10 can be added to ticket purchases.
- Reach For A Dream FoundationminorCharity partner since 2016. Big Concerts supports the foundation that fulfills dreams for children fighting life-threatening illnesses by providing tickets and exclusive experiences through their WE CARE Corporate Social Initiatives program.
- TicketmastercorePrimary ticketing partner for all Big Concerts events. Ticketmaster handles ticket sales, processing, and distribution for concerts and live entertainment events promoted by Big Concerts in South Africa.
- Castle LiteminorBeverage brand sponsor listed as a partner on the Big Concerts website. Provides marketing support and brand association for live entertainment events.
- MastercardcorePayment partner offering presale access to Mastercard cardholders for Big Concerts events. World and World Elite Mastercard cardholders receive preferred access to tickets and exclusive experiences through the Priceless music program.
- FNB StadiumcoreMajor South African stadium venue used for large-scale concerts and events. Located in Johannesburg, Nasrec area.
- Grand Arena, GrandWestcoreMajor entertainment venue in Cape Town used for arena-scale concerts and events.
- Sunbet Arena, Time SquarecoreMajor entertainment arena in Pretoria used for concerts and live events.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Big Concerts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- MDLBEAST: Saudi Arabia-based live music and festival promoter with comparable model of building large-scale festival IP and international touring infrastructure. Relevant emerging regional peer in the MEA live entertainment landscape.
- Calabash South Africa: South African festival brand referenced in Big Concerts' own competition terms. Comparable festival/event organizing model in the same geography, though smaller scale.
- Method Entertainment: Mid-sized live events and concert promoter with comparable model of artist booking, venue partnerships, and ticketing, focused on specific regional markets relevant to Big Concerts' concert-style operations.
Regional players
- Grenke Concerts (former Computicket promoter in SA): South African-focused entertainment services company with overlapping promoter and venue operations in the same domestic market as Big Concerts, providing direct regional competition.
Others
- Ticketmaster: Primary ticketing infrastructure partner for Big Concerts. Comparable in ticketing operations but sits upstream as a platform rather than direct promoter competitor; relevant as enabling infrastructure rather than direct rival.
Direct peers
- Festival Republic: Live Nation sister-company festival promoter (Reading, Leeds, etc.). Comparable to Big Concerts as a Live Nation-affiliated promoter with multi-artist festival event expertise, particularly relevant for Calabash festival operations.
- Another Planet Entertainment: Independent concert promoter specializing in arena and outdoor concerts globally. Comparable mid-sized promoter serving similar artist rosters and venue types, though not South Africa-specific.
- AEG Presents: One of the world's largest live entertainment promoters and venue operators (AEG's Concerts division). Directly comparable to Big Concerts as a global touring promoter with multi-continent artist relationships, though operating at materially larger scale across multiple regions.
- Kilburn Live: Promoter of large-scale touring events and resident shows. Operates with a similar model of bringing international touring content to specific markets, comparable to Big Concerts' stadium-scale arena strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Live Nation Concerts: Direct parent-affiliated promoter and the world's largest concert promoter. Operates the global touring engine that Big Concerts plugs into as a regional promoter; comparable business model (artist promotion, ticketing, venue partnerships) at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Big Concerts social profiles
Digital presenceBig Concerts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Concerts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Big Concerts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Concerts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Concerts
What does Big Concerts do?
Big Concerts is South Africa's leading concert promoter, producing and staging international live music concerts, festivals, and entertainment events across major South African venues such as FNB Stadium, Grand Arena GrandWest, and Sunbet Arena. Founded in 1989, the company promotes shows by international artists, sells tickets through Ticketmaster and its own website, and offers ancillary services including event merchandising, corporate sponsorships, hospitality, and concessions.
Is Big Concerts a public or private company?
Big Concerts is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Big Concerts founded?
Big Concerts was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Big Concerts based?
Big Concerts is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Big Concerts make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Live Event Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships, merchandising and corporate and Private Events.
Who are Big Concerts's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are MDLBEAST, Calabash South Africa and Method Entertainment. Grenke Concerts (former Computicket promoter in SA) is listed as a regional player. Ticketmaster is listed as an others. Direct peers are Festival Republic, Another Planet Entertainment, AEG Presents and Kilburn Live. Live Nation Concerts is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Big Concerts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Concerts.
What industry is Big Concerts in?
Big Concerts's product category is Live Entertainment Promotion. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAFAA, Concert & Tour Promoters, with a secondary code of MPAGAAAB, Music Festival Organizers & Promoters. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.