Live Music Events Are A 'Priority Expense': State Of Play Report Finds

Even with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis raging, a majority of punters have shared that live music is a “priority expense,” per the third annual State Of Play report.

The State Of Play report, conducted by Australia’s leading ticket resale market, Tixel, and culture marketing agency, Bolster, heard from more than 2,700 gig-goers and a panel of experts. The industry insiders are:

• Dr Alex Belli, Consumer Psychology Expert/Senior Marketing Lecturer at The University Of Melbourne

• Mike Christidis, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Untitled Group

• Seth Clancy, Commercial Director of Oztix

• Sarah Donnelly, Director and Artist Manager of Mushroom Management

• Chris Erskine, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Promotions Australasia of Warner Music

• Ash Hills, General Manager of UNIFIED Artist Management

• Brinley Stanovsek, Tour Promoter for Handsome Tours

• Mitch Wilson, Managing Director of the Australian Festival Association

While the report contained many findings, the key takeaways from this year’s roundup, called Front Row Centre (following 2022’s All Options Open and 2023’s Big Ticket Items), start with 56% of punters surveyed reporting that live music events are a priority expense, even with the difficult current economic climate. Two out of three punters reported attending the same or more events than last year.

Despite that good news, 50% of participants surveyed between the ages of 18 and 24 reported that the cost of living is having a “significant impact” on their experiences—that statistic is double the amount of their peers over the age of 50. 57% of punters in the 18-24 age bracket have reported having to choose between live music experiences and basic living expenses.

Over half of concertgoers aged between 18 and 24 (51%) said they purchased tickets to see an artist they discovered on TikTok or Instagram Reels. A viral song can lead to ticket sales, so long as the timing and zeitgeist are right.

As we’ve seen with the success of genre festivals like Strawberry Fields and Good Things—EDM and rock/metal—and sellout tours across the country for Taylor Swift, Dom Dolla, Make Them Suffer, Polaris, Fred again.., and more, genre is king for current punters. 63% of participants admitted that they preferred genre-focused line-ups over the multi-genre experience.

Festivals also aren’t the priority for Gen Z punters, with 38% of participants stating that concerts offer a better live music experience than festivals; a third of punters aged between 18 and 24 attend three to five stadium or arena concerts per year.

While 75% of surveyed participants believe music festivals are a “rite of passage” for Australian youth, 45% of concertgoers concluded that festivals have declined in relevance. The State Of Play reports notes that we’ve been here before with the demise of events such as Big Day Out, Stereosonic, and Soundwave, and music festivals are in a “regenerative” period.

68% of participants surveyed reported feeling positive and/or hopeful about the future of live music in Australia.

In a statement, Zac Leigh, the CEO and Co-Founder of Tixel, said of the 2024 State Of Play report: “The process of undertaking research of this nature is often humbling as things shift quickly in ways you can't always predict, especially in entertainment. Mostly, we come out of it feeling that it's important that we do it.

“We uncovered a great sense of hope from fans, gratitude towards the people that make it all happen, and a lot of people trying hard to get to the live events they love, even if money is tight. At the end of the day, we're in the business of delivering people the live experiences they want, so anything we can learn about their preferences, opinions and buying habits is invaluable.”

Bolster Group Head of Strategy & Growth, Darren Levin, added: “This is the third year Bolster Group has collaborated with Tixel on this report, and we hope these insights help our clients, partners and the industry at large navigate a landscape in constant flux.

“Despite the doom and gloom surrounding our industry, particularly the festival landscape, the good news is the appetite for live events remains strong. We’re buoyed by many of these findings and hope they provide some green shoots of optimism and actionable insights for the year ahead.”

You can check out the complete report here.