The public address market - France

The sound systems sector is undergoing a profound transformation, spurred on by the boom in events, the digitalization of points of sale, and the intensification of acoustic requirements in public spaces. In France, nearly 340,000 events are organized every year, 70% of which are corporate events, generating 65 billion euros in sales and 455,000 jobs. At festivals, 95% of events were maintained in 2024, with an average attendance of 8,181 spectators and a fill rate of 78%. The growing demand for audio equipment is translating into higher technical costs: +58% between 2019 and 2022 for small events, while 58% of festivals saw an increase in their technical expenditure in 2024. At the same time, sound quality is now the top technical criterion for 66% of professional customers. The dynamism also affects everyday settings: 85% of customers prefer music in restaurants, and 96% of employees appreciate a musical atmosphere at work. Music has a direct influence on consumer behavior: 76% find waiting times shorter with music, compared to 57% without. The supply side follows this dynamic: the French sector for the manufacture of electronic sound equipment (NAF 26.40Z) now boasts 107 establishments and 2,272 employees in 2024, with key players such as Devialet (sales > 100 M€, 80% export) or L-Acoustics (93% international sales). On the service side (NAF 90.02Z), the number of establishments has reached 2,640, with heavyweights such as Novelty (sales €170 M) and Videlio (sales €358 M, 40% of which international). Sound systems are also making inroads into unexpected sectors: places of worship (around 100,000 in France), cinemas (1,161,329 seats) and theaters, where 64% of French people express the wish to return more often, despite a recent drop in attendance.

Last but not least, acoustic regulations strictly control these uses: authorized noise levels are limited to 102 dB over 15 minutes for medium/high frequencies and 118 dB for low frequencies, requiring investment in acoustic studies. tudes acoustiques (900-1,600 €), insulation work (up to 250 €/m²) or volume limiters (up to 7,000 €).