The importance of live music is hard to overstate. Ask anyone what their first concert was, and they’ll recall the artist’s name and venue without hesitation (likely with a nostalgic look). Live is the heart of the music industry, creating powerful shared experiences that connect artists and their fans.
In 2024, is there a difference between women’s and men’s interest in live music?
Listening to music—unlike other entertainment activities like sports or social media—is enjoyed at an equal rate by women and men. In the U.S., 74% of these genders are music listeners. When it comes to different types of live music events, however, male music listeners are more likely than female music listeners to have attended a live music event in the past 12 months. Male music listeners are also more likely to plan to attend a live music event in the next 12 months, ranging from concerts to festivals to club events. Given this increased engagement with live music, it comes as no surprise that male live eventgoers attended an average of 2.8 live music events in the past year, compared to 2.6 among female live eventgoers.
As well as socioeconomic factors impacting gender equality well beyond just the music industry, there are event-specific barriers to attending live music events that cause this gender split. The biggest barrier among both female and male music listeners is the cost of the ticket. Female music listeners are more likely than male listeners to cite further costs such as travel to the event and third-party ticket costs (e.g., service fees on ticket booking websites) as reasons they would not attend a live music event. Safety is also an issue, as over one-quarter of female music listeners are put off attending a live event for personal safety concerns, and 18% would not attend if the event ends too late at night.
Yet despite the lower frequency of live music attendance among female music listeners, the financial value of the female fan stands out. Female listeners spend +5% more money monthly on live music events than the average music listener. Male listeners spend -7% less than the monthly average. This suggests that when women engage in live music events, it is an act of committed fandom to the artist or event they are supporting as they overlook their usual concerns regarding the cost of attendance. For some artists struggling to break through the noise on streaming platforms, live performances are essential for revenue generation and growing their audience base. Creating a live event with fewer barriers that impact women more than men could increase artists’ live revenue income.
