Nielsen Music released its 2018 Music 360 Report focusing on the live music business this morning (Nov. 15), which shows that 52 percent of the U.S. population attends some sort of live music event each year. The report, the result of a survey of some 3,100 Americans, was also discussed with more detail by Nielsen Music’s vp/head of brand partnerships Matthew Yazge at this week’s Billboard Live Music Summit, who was bullish on the live industry in his remarks.
"It’s definitely growing," he said about that 52 percent figure. "Artists rely heavily on touring. We’ve seen, specifically, festivals continuing to increase… I don’t think we’ve hit the peak [of festival attendance] yet, so I would anticipate that to continue growing in the future as well."
Within the category of those who attend live events, 68 percent attended a concert, 66 percent a free outdoor community event involving music, 51 percent a small live sessions at a bar or café, 44 percent a music festival and 43 percent a club night featuring a live DJ. Those attendees tended to skew younger -- 26 percent more likely to be millennials -- and Hispanic, at 32 percent more likely than the general population. Attendees were also 35 percent more likely to come from households bringing in more than $80,000 a year, and spend an average of $247 per year on tickets to live music events, compared to $147 per year for the general population.