Concert Audiences May Not Return After Coronavirus
A new survey suggested that more than half of concert attendees in the U.S. might not buy tickets for a considerable period after coronavirus restrictions are lifted – though many looked forward to returning in the longer term.
Billboard recently reported that the live music industry in the U.S. had been expecting a 30 percent year-over-year income during 2020, with more than 50 million advance tickets sold. Lockdown regulations instead forced the sector to a halt, with losses expected to be in the region of $10 to $12 billion if the ban continues until July.
In the survey, reported by Variety, 47 percent of 1,000 consumers said that the idea of going to a major public event would “scare me for a long time”; 44 percent said they would attend fewer such events. A total of 56 percent said their next ticket purchase would take place anywhere from “a few months” to “possibly never” after live music returned to major indoor venues.
The survey also suggested that hygiene issues would retain high awareness after the pandemic recedes, with two thirds citing long-lasting concerns over venue sanitation and food-service areas, while 59 percent saying they’d remain worried about “general proximity to strangers.”
However, 46 percent of people responding said they would value public events more than they had in the past, while 53 percent confirmed a “pent-up desire to attend the events I love” – offering the possibility that people were aware their attitudes would change in time.
The study, by Performance Research and Full Circle Research Co., was noted to have a margin of error of 3 percent.