Photo by Matty Adame on Unsplash
A new major study into Australia’s live music scene found that more than half of respondents described attending events as a priority expense despite cost-of-living pressures.
The annual ‘Ticketing State of Play’, commissioned by Tixel and Bolster Group, surveyed almost 3,000 event-goers to take the pulse of the nation’s music scene in 2024.
Some 56% of respondents described live music events as a priority expense, which is a notably high statistic amid the current economic climate. The study found that two-thirds of event-goers attended the same or more events than last year.
Over half of those aged 18-24 (51%) reported purchasing tickets to see an artist they discovered through TikTok or IG Reels audio.
Consumer desire for flexibility continued with 75% of event-goers saying that confidence in their ability to easily resell a ticket helped them make the decision to purchase earlier. Additionally, strong onsale performance was consistently cited as critically important for the nation’s promoters.
In terms of content, 63% said they preferred singular genre-focused line-ups over experiences that offer up artists from all sorts of music genres.
‘Great sense of hope’
Zac Leigh, chief executive of Tixel, said: “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.”
As well as interviewing thousands of music fans, researchers also consulted experts from academia and the industry as they compiled the third iteration of the Ticketing State of Play. Those participating included Dr Alex Belli, a consumer psychology expert at the University of Melbourne, Untitled Group’s Mike Christidis and Oztix’s Seth Clancy.
Bolster Group head of strategy Darren Levin added: “We’re buoyed by many of these findings and hope they provide some green shoots of optimism and actionable insights for the year ahead.”
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