Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour was second on the list, followed by singer Pink. The Rolling Stones were the highest placed British act - at number six - raking in $126m (£75m) from 23 shows. They finished behind Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, who were fourth on the list after grossing $147m from 53 shows. Rihanna was at number five in the rankings after she played to more than 1.5m fans during the year, bringing in £137m.
Ticket pricing - A majority of audiences say booking fees for concert and theatre tickets are too expensive and any extra charges should be revealed up front. Half of consumers questioned by Which? said additional charges on tickets had put them off booking altogether. Their research uncovered a £25 ticket to see comic Jimmy Carr incurred extra fees of £9.50.
The organisation is launching a Play Fair On Ticket Fees campaign to end hidden charges. It is also calling for any fees to be justified, clearly explained and set at a fair level. Which? found that, out of 20 ticketing companies and venues surveyed, seven did not openly reveal the cost of extra fees, making shopping around for tickets more difficult. Other complaints included being charged to print tickets at home or collect them from venue box offices, with more than 90% of people objecting to the added cost.
Big Screen Opera - The English National Opera (ENO) is to begin screening its productions in UK and worldwide cinemas. The company's first foray onto the big screen will be Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes on 23 February 2014, followed by Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini in June. ENO's artistic director John Berry had previously said screenings "are of no interest to me". The Royal Opera House, meanwhile, began relaying stage productions into cinemas during the 2011-12 season. New York's Metropolitan Opera was the first to bring opera to a wider audience, while Glyndebourne also followed suit.
(Jim Evans)
