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Australian ticket resale marketplace, Tixel, and leading culture marketing agency, Bolster Group, have today revealed their latest Ticketing State of Play research report – a widely referenced resource across the events and entertainment business.

The in-depth research project reveals that the rules for impressing today’s ticket consumer have changed, but there’s a prevailing sense of optimism from fans and across Australia’s live events industry

The latest Ticketing State of Play research report reflects on a year of blockbuster gigs, instant sell-out shows, festival cancellations, enduring cost of living pressures and a refreshing sense of optimism through the eyes of nearly 3,000 Aussie music fans and a panel of leading industry experts.

Front Row Centre marks the third iteration of Tixel and Bolster’s oft-referenced and highly trusted annual snapshot of the Australian live music landscape and the buying and attendance habits and preferences of its event-going public.

First launched in the midst of the industry’s post-COVID recovery efforts, the report has swiftly become a regularly cited and widely referenced resource across the events and entertainment business, influencing ticketing models, resale policies and marketing strategies around the country.

Among numerous key insights and valuable takeaways, the 2024 report saw:

• 56% of respondents reporting live music events as a priority expense, a notably high statistic amid the current economic climate. 2 out of 3 event goers reported attending the same or more events than last year.
• Does trending = tickets? Over half of those aged 18-24 (51%) reported purchasing tickets to see an artist they discovered through TikTok or IG Reels audio, showing that virality can = live event success, as long as timing and the promotion mix is right.
• Consumer desire for flexibility continued with 75% of event-goers saying that confidence in their ability to easily resell a ticket helped them make the decision to purchase earlier; additionally, strong onsale performance was consistently cited as critically important for the nation’s promoters.
• And notably, genre was king, with 63% saying they preferred singular genre-focused line-ups over experiences that offer up artists from all sorts of music genres.

Of this year’s report, Zac Leigh, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Tixel noted "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. 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. At the end of the day we're in the business of delivering people the live experiences they want, so anything we can learn about their preferences, opinions and buying habits is invaluable."

Bolster Group Head of Strategy & Growth Darren Levin added “this is the third year Bolster Group has collaborated with Tixel on this report, and we hope these insights help our clients, partners and the industry at large navigate a landscape in constant flux. Despite the doom and gloom surrounding our industry, particularly the festival landscape, the good news is the appetite for live events remains strong. We’re buoyed by many of these findings and hope they provide some green shoots of optimism and actionable insights for the year ahead.”

Surveying over 2,700 event goers and engaging with a further six consumer respondents for detailed one-to-one reporting, the annual format ensures a timely and quantitative analysis of the shifting sands of Australian ticketing behaviours.

This year’s report was further bolstered by expert guidance from a bevy of industry insiders, including Dr Alex Belli, Consumer Psychology Expert/Senior Marketing Lecturer, The University Of Melbourne; Mike Christidis Co-Founder and Managing Director, Untitled Group; Seth Clancy Commercial Director, Oztix; Sarah Donnelly, Director and Artist Manager, Mushroom Management; Chris Erskine, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Promotions Australasia, Warner Music; Ash Hills General Manager, UNIFIED Artist Management; Brinley Stanovsek, Tour Promoter, Handsome Tours; and Mitch Wilson, Managing Director, Australian Festival Association.

Capturing emerging trends, identifying live challenges and providing speciality recommendations backed by real data, Ticketing State of Play: Front Row Centre is a vital playbook for those working across the intersection of arts and culture, events, ticketing and beyond.

Ticketing State of Play 2024: Front Row Centre is produced by Tixel and Bolster Group.

The full 2024 report can be downloaded for free here. 

Related Articles

10th November 2023 - Tixel and Bolster Group release second annual ticketing state of play report

7th December 2022 - Australian F1 Grand Prix partners with Tixel to mitigate ticket fraud and scalping

22nd October 2022 - Tixel announces release of inaugural ‘All Options Open - Ticketing State of Play 2022’ research report

25th October 2021 - Oztix and Tixel integrate platforms to combat unfair ticket resale practices

1st June 2021 - Tixel receives capital investment from renowned music and entertainment businesses

3rd September 2019 - Tixel unites music industry against ticket fraud

4th May 2024 - Bolster entertainment marketing specialists share lessons learnt from Coachella

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