SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 17, 2013) - Eventbrite, the online ticketing and registration platform popular among EDM event organizers, has announced 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).
EDM Growth Spike
EDM events are growing incredibly fast. Eventbrite has seen gross ticket sales quadruple for EDM events in the last year, and sold EDM event tickets in 28 countries. Fueling this growth, almost two-thirds (61%) of survey respondents reported that they plan on attending more EDM events this year. This kind of growth doesn't come without some consequences; almost half of all EDM respondents reported that they believed EDM is getting too mainstream (44%) and too commercial (46%).
Eventbrite has been the partner of choice for thousands of EDM events, and has partnered with many high-profile EDM producers, including Disco Donnie Presents, Highland Concerts (Lights All Night), Ruby Skye, Maya Day & Nightclub, Palms Casino Resort, Eye Heart SF, and many more. Events on Eventbrite have featured nearly all DJs from DJ Mag's Top 100, including current on-sales with artists such as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, David Guetta, Kaskade, Hardwell, Steve Aoki and Above and Beyond.
Although growth in EDM events have spiked drastically on Eventbrite's platform in the last year, the company has seen solid growth across a wide range of events -- from small workshops and classes to large conferences, festivals and concerts for tens of thousands of attendees. In 2012 alone, Eventbrite ticketed over 40,000 concerts and music festivals. In March of this year, Eventbrite announced that it had processed over 100 million tickets across 179 countries, totaling more than $1.5 billion in gross ticket sales. One-third of those ticket sales had occurred within the previous 9 months, showing strong traction and growth in powering live experiences.
