Inside Moshtix’s ‘State of the Industry’ report

With festivals going bust or downsizing and tour promoters going out of business, you’d imagine that the festival bubble has burst in Australia. But prospects are good for the next 15 months, according to ticketing agency Moshtix’s State Of The Industry report.

The report is published every two years. 5000 people responded to the survey on trends in the live music industry, almost 150% more than who took part in the previous survey. 86% intend to attend the same or increase their attendance to music events in the next 12 months. 28% thought there are not enough music festivals and 74% said they attend local gigs with two or more friends.

Bills and ticket prices were paramount for choice of festivals. Most of concern to ticket buyers was the security of credit card information, with most opting to buy from ticketing company websites.

What emerged in the study was how mobile devices have become a single platform for live music fans – for researching, choosing tickets, paying and receiving their tickets. Moshtix found that 73% become aware of festivals through email alerts, 72% word of mouth and 71.9% social media. For gigs, word of mouth was most important for 72%, with 72%, social media 65.7% and email 63.9%.

“We see mobile as the most important emerging platform for ticketing,” said Moshtix’s new owner and managing director Harley Evans. “Live music fans are passionate people and their interest travels with them everywhere, as do their mobiles. We must make sure their mobile experiences are in keeping with the interaction they want from our industry.”