Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Fan Behavior Differs Greatly From That of Other Music Fans

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired – Jun 17, 2013) – Eventbrite, the online ticketing and registration platform popular among EDM event organizers, announced today the findings of a new online survey conducted in May among 1,019 U.S. adults about the behaviors of those that attend Electronic Dance Music (EDM) events as well as those that attend other types of music events. The data collected by Harris Interactive Service Bureau revealed the EDM fan movement to be much more social both online and off. In fact, over three-quarters (78%) reported that they were much more likely to go to an EDM event if their peers were attending vs. less than half (43%) of other music concert attendees.

Interestingly, the promoter is much more of a draw for EDM event attendees with well over one-third (38%) of EDM respondents reporting that it was extremely or very important for their purchase decision. This was significantly higher than for people who attended other types of music events, with only 10% of these people reporting it had the same level of importance. Additionally, where the event is being held is almost as important to lovers of EDM as who is actually performing (80% and 90% respectively).

In fact, it is the experience itself that helps shape EDM devotees’ likes and dislikes; the events are key drivers in getting people into electronic dance music, and for some the event itself is all that matters. Over one-third (36%) reported that they started going to EDM events before they began listening to the music and over one quarter (28%) don’t listen to the music but still like going to the events. These statistics point to the power that comes with live experiences.

Another significant difference highlighted by the recent survey showed that over half (53%) of EDM fans would pay to see their favorite artist perform an online streaming concert, compared to 19% for other music event attendees. This represents a new revenue opportunity for EDM artists to share their passion with fans around the world.

EDM Enthusiasts are More Mobile and Social

It’s no surprise that EDM event attendees are more social than other music genre event attendees, but the difference is quite staggering.

• Social media is a big driver for EDM events: Over 2/3 (67%) of EDM respondents report hearing about the events that they attend via social media (vs. less than half — 40% for other concert goers) and nearly three-quarters (73%) report that seeing friends posting about attending an EDM event on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. makes them want to attend more (vs. only 36% of other concert goers).
• Smartphones are integral for the EDM experience: Among those surveyed nearly three-quarters (71%) of EDM goers listened to music on their smartphones while less than half (45%) of other concert goers reported the same. Purchasing event tickets on a smartphone was also significantly higher for EDM event attendees with over half (52%) reporting they use their device for this purpose while only 12% of other concert goers said the same thing.
• EDM fans love to share: Interestingly, people who attend EDM events are significantly more likely to share on social media before (67%), during (41%) and after (63%) an EDM event than people who attend music events but not EDM events (with 37%, 21%, 51% respectively). These fans also take more photos and videos of the events than other music fans (on average posting 25 and 5 vs. 17 and 2, respectively).

About Eventbrite:

Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event, and has sold over 100 million tickets and registrations worldwide. The online event registration service makes it easy for everyone to discover events, and to share the events they are attending with the people they know. In this way, Eventbrite brings communities together by encouraging people to connect through live experiences. Eventbrite’s investors include Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, and Tenaya Capital. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com.

About the Survey:

Data for this survey was collected by Harris Interactive Service Bureau (“HISB”) on behalf of Eventbrite between May 22 and 30, 2013, among 1019 U.S. adults, of whom 410 qualified as EDM music event goers and 427 qualified as non-EDM music event goers. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. HISB was responsible for the data collected and data weighting. Eventbrite was responsible for the survey design, data analysis and reporting. Unless otherwise indicated, “The event(s)” refers to “EDM event(s)” for music fans who attend EDM events, and “music events” for music fans who attend non-EDM events.