Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Overview
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- Figure 1: Concert and music festival attendance, October 2017
- The issues
- Ticket purchase issues and sold out events may impede increased attendance
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- Figure 2: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals tickets, October 2017
- Advanced ticket purchases can lead to attendance issues down the road
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- Figure 3: When tickets are purchased and attitudes toward music concerts and festivals tickets, by age, October 2017
- Attendees most likely to learn about concerts/music festivals from friends and family
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- Figure 4: Source of awareness, October 2017
- The opportunities
- Social sharing and tech can boost interest and improve experience
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- Figure 5: Second screen while at events, by age, October 2017
- Rewarding loyal fans with intimate or surprise shows
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- Figure 6: Attitudes about music concerts and festivals, venues, and music knowledge, October 2017
- Livestreaming live music events as way to offset increasing ticket prices
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- Figure 7: Sources of awareness and second screen while at events (livestreamed), October 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Ticket sales continue to grow
- Experience-hungry consumers and strong economy benefit live music
- So many options: concerts, comedy shows, theater, and more
The Market
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- Concerts
- Concert attendance remains steady over time
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- Figure 8: Concert/music festival attendance, by age, 2013-17
- North American concert tickets continue YOY growth…
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- Figure 9: Total tickets sold (top 100 North America concerts), 2000-16
- …and along with rising ticket prices…
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- Figure 10: Average ticket price (top 100 North American concerts), 2000-16
- …industry ticket sales continue to rise
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- Figure 11: Concert industry ticket sales (top 100 North America concerts), 2000-16
- Music Festivals
- Top Music Festivals in the US
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- Figure 12: Popular US Music festivals - Multiple day general admission and VIP ticket prices, 2017
Market Factors
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- Entertainment and experiences are popular ways to spend extra money
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- Figure 13: How extra money is spent – experience items, January 2017
Market Perspective
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- Concerts/music festivals compete with other live entertainment options
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- Figure 14: "Be There When It Happens" - Hamilton Broadway (Radio Commercial), July 2, 2015
- Social media can fuel interest in future attendance for non-attendees
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Demand for a fair ticket purchase process
- Striking a balance between authenticity and commercialization
- Artists demonstrate their clout and control the live music experience
- Technology may tempt non-attendance but can also boost interest
What’s Happening?
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- Brands reach outside an event’s walls (or fences)
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- Figure 15: Bud Light limited edition Chicago-Themed Bottle, Summer 2017
- Figure 16: H&M Loves Coachella, March 2016
- Credit card users benefit from access to presales
- Wristbands today are the credit cards of yesterday
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- Figure 17: RFID - Festival Wristband Instructions, December 14, 2015
- Surprise shows reward fans who remain engaged
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- Figure 18: Foo Fighters tweet, August 1, 2017
What to Watch
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- Ticket purchase issues makes attendance a challenge
- Safety issues continue to cause concern for live entertainment
- Festival newcomers may hesitate after epic festival failure
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- Figure 19: Announcing Fyre Festival, January 2017
- Verified Fan systems reward loyal fans, don’t they?
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- Figure 20: Taylor Swift Tix℠ powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan®, August 2017
- Artists controlling the live music experience
What’s Next?
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- Music festivals expand beyond the stage with their own restaurants
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- Figure 21: The Riot Feast, June 8, 2017
- Virtual reality can augment and amplify the experience
- Livestreaming concerts and festivals through commercials
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Young adults drive live music industry and are eager to attend more
- Direct ticket purchases and personal information sources are preferred
- Experiences are commemorated with physical items and social posts
Concert and Music Festival Attendees
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- Nearly half of adults attended a concert in the last year
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- Figure 22: Concert attendance, by number of concerts attended, October 2017
- One in five adults attended a music festival in the last year
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- Figure 23: Music festival attendance, October 2017
- Concert/music festival goers are one and the same
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- Figure 24: Concert and music festival attendance, by key demographics, October 2017
- Past year attendees vary in their live music show types and habits
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- Figure 25: Concert and music festival attendance, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
Music Concert and Festival Attendee Segmentation
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- Not all past year attendees are created equal
- Captured opportunity: Hardcore Fans
- Secondary opportunities: Informed Concerters and Social Budgeters
- Tertiary opportunities: Disengaged Procrastinators and Disinterested Affluents
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- Figure 26: Music Concert and festival segments, October 2017
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- Figure 27: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals, by music Concert and festival segments, October 2017
- Hardcore Fans (27%)
- Who are they?
- Verdict
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- Figure 28: Profile of Hardcore Fans, October 2017
- Informed Concerters (16%)
- Who are they?
- Verdict
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- Figure 29: Profile of Informed Concerters, October 2017
- Social Budgeters (18%)
- Who are they?
- Verdict
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- Figure 30: Profile of Social Budgeters, October 2017
- Disengaged Procrastinators (19%)
- Who are they?
- Verdict
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- Figure 31: Profile of Disengaged Procrastinators, October 2017
- Disinterested Affluents (19%)
- Who are they?
- Verdict
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- Figure 32: Profile of Disinterested Affluents, October 2017
Sources of Awareness
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- Social media and personal sources are main drivers for awareness
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- Figure 33: Source of awareness, October 2017
- Social media pops for young adults
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- Figure 34: The Swift Life™ – First Look, October 11, 2017
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- Figure 35: Source of awareness – social media items, by age, October 2017
- Email newsletters provide opportunity to connect with older adults
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- Figure 36: Source of awareness – online items, by age, October 2017
- Hardcore Fans use wide range of media to learn about live music events
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- Figure 37: Source of awareness, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
Where and When Tickets Are Purchased
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- 45% of past year attendees buy directly through ticket distributors
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- Figure 38: Where tickets are purchased, October 2017
- Majority of attendees buy their tickets months in advance of event
- Advanced purchase provides event organizers the chance to connect…
- …but not all can plan far out in the future
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- Figure 39: When tickets are purchased, October 2017
- Social Budgeters benefit most from messaging about ticket sale dates
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- Figure 40: Where tickets are purchased, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
Ticket and Attendance Behaviors
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- Increased attendance will hinge on feasible prices and economic state
- Alerts and refund policies can boost trust and reduce concern
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- Figure 41: Attendance and purchase habits - Ticket and attendance items, October 2017
- 18-34 year-olds anticipate attending more live music events next year
- Payment plans can prompt increased attendance
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- Figure 42: Attendance and purchase habits - attendance in the next year, by age and household income, October 2017
- Ticket resale most common among Hardcore Fans
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- Figure 43: Music concert and festival behaviors – select items, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
At-event Purchases
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- Beyond the music, food and drink options are important
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- Figure 44: Attendance purchase habits – food, drink, and merchandise items, October 2017
- Merchandise purchases more correlated with income than age
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- Figure 45: Attendance purchase habits – merchandise, by household income, October 2017
- Opportunity segments plan to attend more, but not all spend at events
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- Figure 46: Attendance purchase habits – select items, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
Second Screen While at Events
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- Nearly four in five attendees use tech at concerts or music festivals
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- Figure 47: Second screen while at events, October 2017
- For 18-34s, pictures and videos today may be the t-shirts of the past
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- Figure 48: Second screen while at events – select items, by age, October 2017
- Opportunity segments share their experience on social media
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- Figure 49: Second screen while at events, by music concert and festival segments, October 2017
Attitudes toward the Ticket Purchase Process
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- Price and availability may put a damper on future attendance
- Ticket distributors can be more transparent and flexible with payments
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- Figure 50: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals – Ticket items, October 2017
- Ticket availability concerns are highest among core attendees
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- Figure 51: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals – select ticket items, by age, October 2017
- Resale ticket purchasers are willing to pay more for their tickets
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- Figure 52: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals – select ticket items, by where tickets are purchased, October 2017
- Hardcore Fans’ passion impacts their willingness to pay more for tickets
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward music concerts and festivals, by Hardcore Fans and Social Budgeters, October 2017
Attitudes toward Venues, Artists, and Music Awareness
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- Venue size matters but not as much as the lineup/artists
- Half of past year attendees feel more informed than friends about music
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- Figure 54: Attitudes about music concerts and festivals – venue and artist, October 2017
- Young adults’ passion for music runs far and deep…
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- Figure 55: Attitudes about music concerts and festivals – select items, by age, October 2017
- …and may provide them with “bragging rights”
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- Figure 56: Attitudes about music concerts and festivals – knowledge items, by age, October 2017
- Smaller venues matter most to affluent consumers
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- Figure 57: Attitudes about music concerts and festivals – venue size item, by household income, October 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 58: Concert/music festival attendance, by age, 2013-17
- Figure 59: Popular US Music festivals - Multiple day general admission and VIP ticket prices, 2017
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