The music concert and festival industry has seen continued growth, with 59% of adult Internet users having attended a live music event in the last three years. The number of summer festivals is growing yearly with many of the key events being staged at full capacity and selling out in record time, however, there is a question as to how long the market can sustain such growth. Rock and pop events continue to be the most popular, although classical music is showing signs of a comeback with live events such as Proms in the Park, crossover acts, orchestral collaborations with rappers and classical club nights all attracting potential new consumers.

The Internet has dramatically changed the structure of the industry by providing the consumer with immediate and direct access to music online; downloads and podcasts are both commonplace. Over half of those who have attended a concert or festival in the last three years bought their ticket over the Internet. The wide range of music available online has enabled audiences’ tastes to be more eclectic than ever before which can only be a good sign for the industry. Mobile phones are also playing a key part in technological advances with the introduction of ticketless gigs whereby barcodes sent via text message replace the traditional paper ticket, moreover WAP video footage sent via the phone is being implemented to promote events.

For the majority of people the main motivation to attend a concert or festival is the actual atmosphere as much as the music and the biggest complaint is food and drink with nearly 90% of those questioned thinking that it is too expensive.

This report analyses current trends in the music concert and festival industry, featuring exclusive consumer research highlighting the main audiences for each genre. It examines the level of spend and frequency of attendance at live music event and looks at attitudes amongst concert and festival-goers.