Tixel and Bolster Group deep dive into Australian live music industry hit by cost-of-living pressures

With doom-and-gloom news shrouding the live music industry lately, a new report looking at what drives ticket sales has revealed that Aussies’ appetite for live events remains strong.

Aussie ticket resale marketplace Tixel in collaboration with culture marketing agency Bolster on Wednesday released their latest Ticketing State of Play research report titled Front Row Centre.

It reflects on a year of major gigs, sell-out shows, festival cancellations, enduring cost-of-living pressures, and a refreshing sense of optimism after surveying 2700 Aussie music fans aged 18 to over 50 and a panel of industry experts.

With several key insights, one thing from the report is clear—56 per cent of people see live music events as a priority expense.

It is a notably high statistic amid the current economic climate with two out of three eventgoers also reporting they attended the same or more events than last year.

Another standout takeaway was that 63 per cent of respondents preferred singular genre-focused line-ups over experiences offering artists from a mix of genres.

It also seemed if an artist was trending on social media such as TikTok, more people would buy tickets resulting in live event success.

More than half of those aged 18-24 (51 per cent) reported purchasing tickets to see an artist they discovered through TikTok or Instagram Reels audio.

Consumer desire for flexibility continued with 75 per cent of event-goers saying that confidence in their ability to easily resell a ticket helped them decide to purchase earlier.

Strong on-sale performance was also consistently cited as important for the nation’s promoters.

When it comes to picking the type of event, people preferred concerts over festivals and were prepared to spend $161 to for a show by an international act.

Tixel chief executive and cofounder Zac Leigh said despite the nationwide cost of living crisis, music lovers were still trying to get to their favourite gigs.

“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,” he said.

“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.

The report quoted Seth Clancy from Oztix who said eventgoers are more selective about where they spend their money.

“Ticket prices are largely dictated by increased costs, and as a result, people who used to attend six events a year are now going to maybe two. Ticket prices are holding steady over the last 12 to 18 months, but prices have stayed at the higher end. There’s not much room for further increases without affecting sales, especially for festivals.”

Bolster Group head of strategy and growth 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.”

The report comes after many festivals were cancelled this year.

Groovin The Moo was cancelled two weeks after tickets went on sale because not enough punters were willing to fork out money.

Splendour In The Grass—one of the biggest festivals in the country—was cancelled “due to unexpected events” and did not elaborate.

Another popular festival Spilt Milk also pulled the plug for 2024.

Adding salt to the industry’s wound was when Bluesfest—one of Australia’s longest-running festivals—announced in August it would no longer continue following the event in 2025.

However all was not lost with the announcement of Wildlands Festival making its return to Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide this summer.

The Spilt Milk House Party also added some reprieve with the likes of Troye Sivan and Glass Animals set to ignite the vibes at Kings Park, the Gold Coast and Newcastle in November.