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With 57% of internet users globally saying they’d rather spend money on a unique experience than a status brand,1 it’s no surprise that music lovers are increasingly gravitating toward concerts. By 2023, live music ticket sales globally will exceed $25 billion, which is an increase of 14% from 2019.2 Streaming services and social media have changed how people listen to music and interact with artists, and now digital channels are changing how they discover concerts and decide which shows to attend.
To better understand today’s connected concertgoers, we commissioned Kantar Profiles to survey* 586 people ages 18 and older in the US who’ve purchased a ticket to a concert they personally attended in the last 12 months. In this study, we sought to identify how consumers discover and plan which concerts to attend, as well as uncover how they like to communicate with artists, venues and ticketing services following a ticket purchase.
While live music events connect people to one another in the physical world, much of the experience surrounding the show happens digitally. The vast majority (85%) of US concertgoers discover these events online, and 63% say they like to learn about upcoming concerts they might be interested in attending via social media.
In fact, almost half (49%) of US concertgoers discover shows on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp, making Facebook platforms* the top source of digital discovery. Following social media, ticketing websites (31%) and search engines (31%) are the next most popular digital resources that concertgoers reference to find upcoming performances.
More concertgoers turn to social media because it enables them to connect with fellow fans as well as their favorite artists and to stay informed about the latest news and tours. Among those who discover concerts on social media, 59% say content from friends and family is how they typically hear about shows they might want to attend. Additionally, more than half (53%) of US music listeners* follow artists on Facebook or Instagram to learn about upcoming live performances, and more than a third (35%) do so to feel like part of the musician’s community.3
Fans also turn to Facebook platforms* to share their concert experiences with others, both during and after performances. Among weekly platform users, 54% of concertgoers post pictures or videos from concerts on Facebook, and nearly one in three watch Instagram Stories about live music.
Facebook platforms*:49%
Ticketing websites/apps:31%
Search engines:31%
Email:27%
Venue websites/apps:19%
Local news or culture websites/apps:16%
Almost all (96%) US concertgoers say they go to shows with others, whether it’s a significant other, family members or friends. The social experience of live events is sometimes enough to influence people to attend shows they may not have otherwise gone to. In fact, most (61%) 18–34-year-olds who have attended a concert say spending time with people who are important to them can drive them to buy a ticket for a concert even when they "don't really know or love the artist.3
Interestingly, the types of people that concertgoers choose to go to shows with differs quite a bit by age group. 61% of US concertgoers over the age of 30 say they typically go to performances with their spouse or significant other, compared with only 35% of 18–29-year-olds. Alternatively, 56% of 18–29-year-old concertgoers say they attend shows with close friends.
Concerts also have the power to reunite people: Nearly one in four concertgoers between the ages of 25 and 44 say they attend shows with friends they don’t see very often but who like the artist a lot. Facebook platforms* are key in facilitating these reconnections. Those who plan trips to concerts using Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp are 1.5 times more likely to attend shows with distant friends who share an interest in the artist compared to other concertgoers.
Since attending a concert is almost always a shared social experience, the coordination and planning tends to lead to a longer and more involved purchase journey. Over half (54%) of US concertgoers say they learned about the last show they attended over a month before actually buying the ticket.
When it comes to the planning process, 57% of concertgoers say in-person conversations are how they coordinate show logistics with others, and 42% say they turn to social media or messaging apps to coordinate. However, there are some significant differences among age groups when it comes to coordination. Concertgoers ages 30 and older are 1.6 times more likely to plan show details over the phone compared with younger consumers. Conversely, 18–29-year-old concertgoers are 1.3 times more likely to plan show details using social media or messaging services compared with concertgoers over the age of 30.
A staggering 70% of US music listeners* say they missed a concert in the last year because they learned about the show too late, forgot about the concert in between learning about it and tickets going on sale or because of challenges planning with friends. Among the surveyed reasons for missing a show, the most common cited by US music listeners was because they learned about the concert only after all the good seats had sold out and were only available for very high prices through resellers.3
Brands can leverage both paid and organic communication on social media to prevent these issues and to add value to the concert-planning experience. Among those who discover concerts on social media, 45% say advertisements on social platforms help them find out about concerts, which drives awareness well in advance of the performance. More than a quarter (26%) of concertgoers* say they turn to content from brands or publishers they follow on social media to decide which concerts to attend. This means that by consistently posting updates about upcoming concerts, marketers can inspire potential attendees to take action.
In fact, concertgoers are eager to hear from brands both before and after buying a ticket, with 83% saying they'd like to receive information from the artist, venue or ticketing services following a purchase. The most valuable types of information that concertgoers would like to receive are promotional offers (41%), information on upcoming concerts (40%) and offers for upgraded experiences (28%).
For show reminders specifically, more than half (56%) of concertgoers would like to receive updates via email, and 48% would like reminders via social media or messaging services. However, these communication preferences differ significantly by age. Email is preferred among older concertogers, with 63% of those over the age of 35 saying they like to receive concert reminders this way (compared with 40% of 18–34-year-old concertgoers). Younger concertgoers gravitate toward social media and messaging services, with 62% of 18–34-year-olds saying they prefer to receive concert reminders through these channels (compared with 41% of concertgoers ages 35 and older).
I learned about the concert only after all the good seats had sold out or were only available for very high prices through a reseller:34%
I learned about the concert before the tickets went on sale, but then forgot about it: 25%
I learned about the concert while it was happening or just after:24%
I learned about the concert days or weeks after it happened:16%
I couldn’t find anyone to go to the concert with me:15%
Source unless otherwise specified: “Concerts Consumer Journey Study” by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 586 respondents ages 18+, US, Jul–Nov 2019).
With many concertgoers turning to social media to discover upcoming shows, tap into online communities to rally fanbases and make it easy for social audiences to share events with their own networks.
Messaging services are important tools that consumers use to plan concert outings with others and to communicate with brands. Be sure to offer always-on messaging support to share important show details.
Concertgoers typically hear about shows weeks or months in advance of actually purchasing tickets. Ensure your communication goes beyond the initial launch and provide frequent reminders to consumers as they plan their experience.
