Live Music Post Lockdown-75% Of Music Fans Ready To Attend ‘Socially Distanced’ Shows

As Lockdown restrictions continue to be eased, the Live Music Industry is looking to get back on its feet following a devastating few months in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the vast majority of Gigs, Club Events and Festivals cancelled, music fans are searching for new (and safe) ways to enjoy the Live music experience, such as watching Bands performing socially-distanced concerts.

But how many people are really ready and willing to get back out there once Lockdown has lifted?

The majority, it turns out.

In a survey of over 200,000 of its customers*, Skiddle found that 75% of respondents said they would ‘be happy to attend a safely-organised, socially-distanced music event in 2020’.

The UK-based ticketing platform and what’s on guide also found that over 65% of people are planning to attend Live music events within one month of Lockdown. Within that group, 42% said they would be willing to attend a Live music event ‘straight away’.

Less than 9% of those surveyed said they’d wait over 6 months after Lockdown before attending Live music events, with less than 0.5% stating they would never go again.

While outdoor events are likely to be the first to return once restrictions are lifted, over 70% said they were ‘likely’ to attend both indoor and outdoor events post-lockdown, while over 50% said they would attend a seating-only event (with at least one empty seat between those who do not live together).

Skiddle also asked music fans whether they’d be willing to attend a Live music event with reduced capacity ‘sessions’ (eg. between 8pm-10pm or 10pm-12am), and interestingly 57% of those surveyed said they would.

Looking forward to Live music events in 2021, 38% of respondents said they had already purchased tickets for 2021, with a further 47% saying they’d be happy to buy tickets for 2021 before the end of this year.

But what about the cost of tickets? When asked if they expected tickets to be more expensive next year due to the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 crisis, 38% said that they didn’t, while 37% said they did (25% were not sure).

So while Live music fans are clearly very eager to get back out there, the feeling from the other side is not so positive.

In a separate survey, this time of Skiddle’s event organisers and promoters, over 95% said that they had not received enough information from the UK Government regarding future events.

The financial viability of social-distanced/reduced capacity events was one of the primary concerns raised by promoters, as was the general size of venues (especially where Club nights and Gigs are concerned).

When asked what they needed in order to run socially-distanced events, many said clear guidelines from the UK Government were a priority. Other responses ranged from ‘large, open-air spaces’ to ‘staggered entry’ and ‘immunity testing’.

Skiddle co-founder Richard Dyer said: ”What is clear from these results is that music fans are busting to get back out there, with around two-thirds of our customers planning to watch Live music within one month of Lockdown lifting. That’s obviously great news for the industry, but there’s a major problem. The people who organise and promote Live music events do not have what they need to make it happen. What the Live sector needs is clear and constructive guidelines from the UK Government on capacities, sanitation, testing and more. Only then can the industry begin to get back on its feet.”