Report: Young Australians Using Social Media As A Tool For Artist Discovery & Gig-Going
"More than three in five of those we surveyed say attending live music events is important to them."
triple j's One Night Stand (Credit: Sethen Sheehan-Lee)
Live music is essential to young Australians, with 63% of people aged 16-25 surveyed in a recent The Push report stating that going to gigs is important.
Australian youth music organisation and charity The Push recently conducted a report, Young Australian Music Audiences, in collaboration with YouGov, gathering a sample of 1,000 young people aged 16 to 25 across the country to explore their relationships with music.
The report arrives as we touch down on under a hundred days from the federal government enacting its social media ban for under-16s, and it details young Australians’ relationship with social media and live music, which are undeniably intertwined.
In a significant increase, 70% of participants surveyed said they discover new music via social media – up from 41% in 2024. There’s also been a massive boost in young people discovering new music on streaming services, increasing to 74% in 2025 from 61% in 2024.
“This is a huge increase on last year’s results, when just 41% of young Australians told us they discovered new music via social media,” said The Push Chief Executive Officer Kate Duncan.
Acknowledging the incoming social media ban, 72% of participants stated that live music events or programs would be “very important” to help them feel connected to others if their access to Instagram, TikTok, etc. were to be cut off.
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That number coincided with 80% of participants expressing their support for a government program that would enable young people to attend live music events and stay connected with others.
Duncan added, “If online communities are being switched off for young people under the age of 16 on 10 December, what are we doing to ensure we’re not exacerbating the loneliness epidemic that we’re seeing across our country?
“More than three in five of those we surveyed say attending live music events is important to them, and 80% would support a government program for young people to organise or attend music events so they can stay connected without social media.”
In addition to social media access, other barriers to young people attending gigs include cost (49%), having a driver’s licence (36%), and age (36%).
“We need to collectively ensure that if we’re switching off online opportunities for young Australians, we’re providing real-life, place-based programs and events for them to connect and be okay,” Duncan continued.
“Without accessible entry points, we risk losing the next generation of live music audiences; and with them, the artists, industry workers and cultural leaders who will sustain the sector in years to come.”
Duncan concluded, “The Government was proactive in consulting with the community and industry in the design of the Online Safety Amendment Bill to protect young Australians during critical stages of their development and give them more time to build real-world connections.
“What young people have told us in this survey represents a transformative opportunity for a collective response to help them connect and meet their tribe when the social media ban begins. We need to open doors by funding all-ages gigs, backing youth-led events, making tickets affordable, and enabling schools and councils to host discovery programs.
“We look forward to working together with government, industry and the community to elevate young people’s voices and lived experiences and put them front and centre in our national cultural policy.”
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