CloudJoi 2024 Data Deep Dive: More Shows, But Where Are the Audiences?

(This blog post originated from Arifin Azam. To read the full article, visit The Azam Review website.)

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I had the opportunity to attend JoiUp 2025, hosted by CloudJoi—an annual industry gathering that brings together key players in the performing arts scene for networking and collaboration. During the event, they also unveiled their second CloudJoi Annual Data Report, offering comparative insights from both 2023 and 2024.

Dennis Lee, CEO and Co-founder of CloudJoi, delivering his address at JoiUp 2025, sharing key insights and unveiling new platform features.

While the report exclusively reflects data from the CloudJoi platform, its extensive traffic and widespread usage suggest that, with some caution, it can offer valuable insights into broader trends within Malaysia’s performing arts landscape. Although it may not fully represent the entire industry, the data provides a meaningful snapshot that can help gauge the pulse of the larger arts community.

One particularly compelling highlight from the report was a comparison of key metrics—such as the number of organizers, shows marketed through CloudJoi, total tickets sold, and overall revenue—between 2023 and 2024. Their findings reveal an impressive surge in activity: the number of active organizers increased by a staggering 127%, shows grew by 66%, and showtimes expanded by 35%. At first glance, these figures suggest a vibrant and thriving arts scene on the rise.

A comparison of key metrics from 2023 and 2024, highlighting the disparity between the surge in show numbers and the slower growth in ticket sales and revenue.

However, beneath this impressive growth lies a troubling disparity. While there was still an increase in demand, it did not rise in proportion to the surge in productions. Total ticket sales grew by only 22%, and total revenue increased by just 17%—figures that fall short of expectations when compared to the sharp rise in organizers and shows. This gap between the rapid expansion of supply and the slower growth in demand highlights underlying challenges within the industry—issues that warrant deeper investigation.

A Growing Stage, But Where Is the Audience?

The rapid increase in organizers and shows suggests a flourishing creative sector. Yet, the audience base appears not to be growing at the same pace. This disconnect raises an essential question: Is the Malaysian performing arts scene expanding faster than its audience can sustain?

One possibility is that the market is becoming oversaturated (read more on this here). With more shows competing for the same pool of attendees, audiences may be spread too thin. Imagine there are suddenly hundreds of new plays, musicals, and performances being staged, but the number of people buying tickets doesn’t grow as fast, many shows might end up playing to half-empty theaters. Even though the scene looks busy and vibrant, the reality is that organizers and performers might struggle to fill seats or cover costs. Instead of boosting overall ticket sales, the increase in performances could simply be diluting audience numbers per show, leaving smaller productions struggling to fill seats.

To better understand this disparity, it’s important to explore several factors that could be contributing to the gap between the surge in shows and the slower growth in ticket sales and revenue. Examining these underlying causes may offer valuable insights into the challenges facing Malaysia’s performing arts scene.

Limited Audience Pool and the Need for Audience Development

One possible reason for the disparity between the surge in shows and the slower growth in ticket sales is the relatively small pool of prospective performing arts audiences in Malaysia. Even with more shows being staged, the number of people willing or able to attend may not have grown at the same pace. This means that increasing the number of productions without expanding the audience base can lead to the same group of attendees being stretched thin across more events.

To address this, audience development becomes crucial. This involves not just attracting new audiences but also nurturing existing ones through outreach, education, and engagement strategies. Without efforts to grow and diversify the audience pool, the performing arts scene risks saturating a limited market, where more shows don’t necessarily translate into higher attendance or revenue. (read more on audience development here)

Audience Fragmentation and Choice Fatigue

In addition to the limited audience pool, audience fragmentation and choice fatigue are also important factors to consider. As options multiply, audiences may experience... (Continue reading)

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The CloudJoi Annual Data Report 2024 analyses ticket sales, audience behaviour, and key trends for performing arts, cultural, and live entertainment shows in Malaysia hosted on CloudJoi in 2024, with comparisons to 2023. For the first time, it includes regional insights on performance hubs, ticket pricing, and audience concentration. Based solely on CloudJoi’s platform data, it offers valuable perspectives for producers, performers, and arts supporters.