Big Concerts

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.

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

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

• Live event promotion
• Concert ticketing
• International artist tours
• Stadium concert production
• Entertainment sponsorship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships including partnerships with brands like Castle Lite and Mastercard for event branding, presale access, and promotional activities.
3. Merchandising: Sale of event merchandise at venues and through official channels.
4. Corporate and Private Events: Corporate events, private functions, hospitality, and concessions services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Sunflower FundminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Charity 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 FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Charity 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.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary 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 LiteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage brand sponsor listed as a partner on the Big Concerts website. Provides marketing support and brand association for live entertainment events.
• MastercardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment 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 StadiumcoreOthersMajor South African stadium venue used for large-scale concerts and events. Located in Johannesburg, Nasrec area.
• Grand Arena, GrandWestcoreOthersMajor entertainment venue in Cape Town used for arena-scale concerts and events.
• Sunbet Arena, Time SquarecoreOthersMajor entertainment arena in Pretoria used for concerts and live events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging 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

• Xx.com/bigconcerts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUQUjnS27fmdjpnF3kXi6vg
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigconcerts
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigconcerts
• TikToktiktok.com/@bigconcerts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-concerts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Concerts