Live music is one of the biggest entertainment draws in Canada, and it’s growing in popularity this year among the general population, especially Millennials. Fans don’t just show up, though. They make plans months and weeks ahead of events, engage with on-site brand activations, interact with other event-goers, share their live music and festival experiences on social media.While the music experience is key, other activities like socializing and purchasing food, drinks, merchandise and music enhance the overall experience for fans. Given the high engagement of live events, as attendance trends upward, artists, brands, labels, management and event producers can use consumer data and insights to drive all-around success of live music events.To explore the current landscape, Nielsen analyzed how Canadian fans engage with live music, and learned that consumers don’t typically decide to attend live music events on a whim. In addition to covering the actual ticket costs, attendees need to consider the travel and overnight accommodations, especially for large, multi-day events, which tend to be biggest expenses, when making a live event purchase.In the planning and discovery phase, the total cost of attendance is a top barrier for 85% of attendees, and 70% of live music event-goers buy tickets within two weeks of release or sooner.

Live music is a considerable investment for fans in Canada, who say that they spend 60% of their annual music spend on attending events. And while at the concerts, festivals and other live music events, most fans are using social media platforms. In fact, 70% of live music event attendees use social media at live music events.

And fans don’t just soak up the experience on-site; they continue enjoying long after the events end. As 40% of attendees say they buy CDs from the performing artists and 29% say they stream the artists’ music. Fans also view live music as a great way to try new products, among fans that attend a live event, 12% say they learn more about a sponsor’s brand, and 13% say they purchase products from the brand after the event.

Our Canada Live Music and Brands Report provides additional insights about live music-goers, what factors drive their satisfaction and which brand activations are most popular with them.

Methodology

The insights in this article were derived from:

• Nielsen Canada Music 360 Report, 2017
• Nielsen Canada Live Music and Brands Report, 2017