How to Use Your Live Music Data to Turn a Profit

Making a living in the music industry is an art — and a science. The key to balancing the two? Your data.

The right data can change the course of your live music business. But which music data should you focus on to move the bottom line?

Get the answers from four music industry data pros, including festival marketing expert Jacob Matthews and venue owner Duncan Wold. In this guide, they’ll help you use data to:

• Sell more tickets by identifying your most valuable ads
• Cut costs by better predicting staffing & stocking needs
• Save time and operate more efficiently

PREVIEW

Running a venue or music festival can feel like riding a roller coaster — blindfolded. You may get a rush of pure joy at the end, but the unpredictable turns and drops can rattle even the most experienced live music producer.

But what if the future of your business weren’t so mysterious? What if you could get a real sense of your show’s or festival’s status with the click of a button? How would it change your business if you could be certain you’d cover your guarantees, and rest assured sales are on track?

The right data can change the course of your business. No more roller coaster — you can see for miles ahead.

“Data is the closest thing we have to predicting the future,” says Michael Timoney, Eventbrite’s Global Director of Performance Marketing. “Without reliable data, we’re just guessing as to what’s working.

Understanding your data doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming. In fact, making data-driven decisions can actually save both time and money. As you’ll read in this guide, Jacob Matthews, the former Director of Marketing for Republic Live and founder of The Why Co, used data to save team members 5+ hours per week while improving ad conversion by 20%.

The four levels of data mastery

You’re wearing a lot of hats. Whether you’re a venue manager running 30 events per week or a promoter trying to sell out a 30k+ festival, the last thing you need is another to-do list.

Luckily, making data-driven decisions doesn’t need to take extra time. In fact, once you’ve learned to use your data to its full potential, you’ll save time. How? By streamlining your entire process.

Here are four levels of data domination you can use to streamline your data, in order of difficulty. Stick with the simplest, fastest solution that still gets you all the information you need.

Level 1: Master your built-in ticketing reports

Ticket sales are probably your most important source of data. If you don’t understand how many tickets you’ve sold and how, you won’t be able to ask more advanced questions.

The easiest way to understand your sales at a glance is to use your ticketing platform’s reports. These should help you understand if your sales are on track, which marketing efforts are driving the most sales, and where your buyers are coming from. With a few clicks, you can view reports by a single event, a single ticket type, or across events and ticket types.

If you use Eventbrite, you have 24/7 online access to more than 15 different reports and chart views that you can customize for your needs.

You don’t even have to be at your desk to use your data. Mobile solutions like the Eventbrite Organizer app enable you to watch ticket sales live on your phone, and even stay up to speed with check-in data in real time. Having data at your fingertips empowers you to direct your staff from wherever you are, know your most important tasks from the moment you wake up, and always be connected to your network — even without WiFi.

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