2015: A LOOK BACK
THE YEAR IN LIVE EXPERIENCES
SUMMARY
Live events have been part of the American experience since the
country’s earliest days. From their beginnings in 1750, Broadway
performances have dazzled theater lovers. Since then, The Phantom of
the Opera, Chicago and Cats have made history as the Great White Way’s
longest-running shows. In 1920, Babe Ruth helped the New York Yankees
become the first team to ever top 1,000,000 fans in attendance for a single
season. And this year, the Rolling Stones took the crown for having the
most successful North American tour of 2015, grossing $80.7MM.
As the digital age flourishes and Americans’ appreciation for these
cultural phenomena continues to grow, we’re entering a new era of
enhanced live event experiences.
It should come as no surprise that, in this day and age, mobile plays
a prominent role in live-events. Fifty-two percent of concert-goers
use their mobile devices to look up details about shows, while
67% of millennials have taken a picture of a performer with a smartphone.
Mobile allows fans to better engage with their favorite athletes and
performers via social media and to connect with other fans in attendance,
both before and after shows.
While there has been backlash against the presence of phones at
concerts, fans seem to agree that their devices are a must. This year,
3.5 MM tweets were sent during the first week of Coachella,
and 28.4 MM throughout Super Bowl XLIX.
With more entertainment options than ever before - and a surge
of technology making it easier to be part of these events - it’s an
exciting time to be a fan. StubHub’s “2015: A Look Back,
The Year in Live Experiences” report captures this excitement.
In the sections below, we illustrate key trends surrounding consumer
behaviors, as well as preferences and patterns of social media
interaction before, during and after live event experiences.
1
METHODOLOGY
The data in this report was compiled by StubHub’s Consumer
Insights and Analytics teams. Third party research is included
and cited in the reference section at the end of the report.
The Consumer Insights study was first conducted in the spring
of 2014, and again in the spring of 2015. Survey respondents
were individuals who have purchased a live event ticket within
the last 12 months, including tickets purchased outside of
StubHub’s platform. Free concerts and events were not counted.
Further research was performed in September of 2015 as
StubHub’s Analytics team compiled data over the prior year
related to buyers and sellers across StubHub’s desktop, mobile
web and mobile app.
It is our intent that this inaugural report will be used as a
benchmark for future analysis of the live events industry. We
aim to issue refreshed findings on an annual basis.
2
MEET THE AUDIENCE
The band’s tuning their instruments and food trucks line the
concourse. The audience sways, entranced, as the speakers send
booming vibrations through the crowd. Who are these fans and what
brings them to this shared experience?
Fans come from different walks of life and from various corners of
the US. As most venues and performers are aware, knowing one’s
audience is just as important as arranging the event itself. Doing so
not only ensures that all marketing efforts are properly targeted to
event-goers, but also allows performers, athletes, venue organizers
and ticket vendors alike to enhance fans’ experiences by connecting
with them through their preferred channels.
In this section, we’ll take a look at fans of sports, music and theater
events, zeroing in on their annual events calendar and social habits.
THE BASICS
On average…
• US ticket purchasers are 42 years old.
• Sports ticket purchasers are 40 years old.
• Concert ticket purchasers are 42 years old.
• Theater ticket purchasers are 44 years old.
• Fans purchased tickets to 4 events in the last year.
• Fans in the 18-24 age bracket purchased tickets to
6 events in the last year.
• Fans over the age of 55 purchased tickets to less
than 3 events in the last year.
• Sports fans purchased tickets to 5 events in the
last year.
• Concert-goers purchased tickets to 4 events in the
last year.
• Theater buffs purchased tickets to 4 events in the
last year.
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8 DAYS A WEEK: PRIME PURCHASING TIMES (ACROSS MUSIC AND SPORTS)
(
32% of StubHub event goers purchased
tickets within 3 days of an event.
2%
booked over 180 days in advance.
• On average, male respondents purchased
tickets to 5 events in the last year, while
female respondents purchased tickets to
3 events in the last year.
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8 DAYS A WEEK: PRIME PURCHASING TIMES (ACROSS MUSIC AND SPORTS CONT.)
FANS’ PREFERRED CHANNELS AND SOCIAL HABITS
SPECIAL DELIVERY! FANS RECEIVE TICKETS THROUGH:
• Instant download:
• UPS delivery:
73%
13%
• Electronic PDF:
(emailed)
• Pickup:
13%
2%
5
BUSINESS TRENDS: SPORTS, MUSIC & THEATER
Business is booming across the sports and entertainment industries as teams and performers
connect more directly with their fans through social media. And of course, fans love getting up close
and personal with the living legends they love. Summer sees legions of music lovers trekking to their
favorite festivals, while winter brings packed arenas filled with sports fanatics watching their heroes
claim the ice. February kicks off with the biggest NFL game of the season, and shortly thereafter, the
month that every college basketball fan goes mad for: March. No matter the season or month, fans of
all kinds are passionately for rooting for their favorite teams and artists.
The fan experience is further enhanced through mobile ticketing. Fans have unprecedented access
to their favorite events, with the ability to claim their seats from home, work or on the go - sometimes
only hours before the start of the show.
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THE SKINNY ON SPORTS
MVP: Top-Selling Teams
(Across Leagues)
MVP: Top-Selling Teams
(Per Event)
•
San Francisco Giants
•
Duke Blue Devils
•
New York Yankees
•
Seattle Seahawks
•
Boston Red Sox
•
New England Patriots
•
Los Angeles Dodgers
•
Chicago Bears
•
Dallas Cowboys
•
Denver Broncos
•
St. Louis Cardinals
•
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
•
Chicago Cubs
•
Texas A&M Aggies
•
New York Knicks
•
Alabama Crimson Tide
•
San Francisco 49ers
•
Dallas Cowboys
•
Detroit Tigers
•
New York Giants
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TOP CONCERTS ATTENDED BY NFL FANS
Stubhub sorted through data to answer the question: if you bought a specific NFL team’s
ticket at stubhub in the past 5 years, what other concert purchase have you made this year?
(Ranked by highest correlation.)
ARIZONA CARDINALS: U2
ATLANTA FALCONS: The Rolling Stones
BALTIMORE RAVENS: Florida Georgia Line
BUFFALO BILLS: Garth Brooks
CAROLINA PANTHERS: Taylor Swift
CHICAGO BEARS: The Rolling Stones
CINCINNATI BENGALS: Jason Aldean
CLEVELAND BROWNS: Garth Brooks
DALLAS COWBOYS: Taylor Swift
DENVER BRONCOS: Kenny Chesney
DETROIT LIONS: Kid Rock
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Luke Bryan
HOUSTON TEXANS: Kenny Chesney
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Ed Sheeran
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Elton John
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Luke Bryan
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Ariana Grande
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Ed Sheeran
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Billy Joel
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Garth Brooks
NEW YORK GIANTS: Kenny Chesney
NEW YORK JETS: Billy Joel
OAKLAND RAIDERS: The Grateful Dead
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Maroon 5
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: U2
ST. LOUIS RAMS: Ed Sheeran
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: U2
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: The Grateful Dead
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Rush
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Luke Bryan
TENNESSEE TITANS: The Rolling Stones
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Foo Fighters
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TOP CONCERTS ATTENDED BY MLB FANS
Stubhub sorted through data to answer the question: if you bought a specific MLB team’s
ticket at stubhub in the past 5 years, what other concert purchase have you made this year?
(Ranked by highest correlation.)
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Garth Brooks
ATLANTA BRAVES: Taylor Swift
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Taylor Swift
BOSTON RED SOX: Foo Fighters
CHICAGO CUBS: U2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Ed Sheeran
CINCINNATI REDS: Elton John
CLEVELAND INDIANS: Fleetwood Mac
COLORADO ROCKIES: Luke Bryan
DETROIT TIGERS: Bob Seger
HOUSTON ASTROS: Taylor Swift
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Maroon 5
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: Eric Church
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Eric Church
MIAMI MARLINS: Elton John
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: Ariana Grande
MINNESOTA TWINS: Billy Joel
NEW YORK METS: Billy Joel
NEW YORK YANKEES: Sam Smith
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: Maroon 5
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Eric Church
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: Taylor Swift
SAN DIEGO PADRES: Foo Fighters
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: Maroon 5
SEATTLE MARINERS: Foo Fighters
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: Kenny Chesney
TAMPA BAY RAYS: Taylor Swift
TEXAS RANGERS: Garth Brooks
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Fleetwood Mac
WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Fleetwood Mac
9
TOP CONCERTS ATTENDED BY NBA FANS
Stubhub sorted through data to answer the question: if you bought a specific NBA team’s
ticket at stubhub in the past 5 years, what other concert purchase have you made this year?
(Ranked by highest correlation.)
ATLANTA HAWKS: Billy Joel
BOSTON CELTICS: The Who
BROOKLYN NETS: Janet Jackson
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Luke Bryan
CHICAGO BULLS: U2
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: The Rolling Stones
DALLAS MAVERICKS: Garth Brooks
DENVER NUGGETS: Kenny Chesney
DETROIT PISTONS: Kid Rock
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: AC/DC
HOUSTON ROCKETS: Garth Brooks
INDIANA PACERS: Zac Brown Band
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: Foo Fighters
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Taylor Swift
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Foo Fighters
MIAMI HEAT: Ariana Grande
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Garth Brooks
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Luke Bryan
NEW YORK KNICKS: Billy Joel
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Taylor Swift
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: Garth Brooks
ORLANDO MAGIC: The Rolling Stones
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Imagine Dragons
PHOENIX SUNS: U2
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: Ed Sheeran
SACRAMENTO KINGS: Taylor Swift
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: Luke Bryan
TORONTO RAPTORS: Drake
UTAH JAZZ: Sam Smith
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: J Cole
10
TOP CONCERTS ATTENDED BY NHL FANS
Stubhub sorted through data to answer the question: if you bought a specific NHL team’s
ticket at stubhub in the past 5 years, what other concert purchase have you made this year?
(Ranked by highest correlation.)
ANAHEIM DUCKS: Foo Fighters
ARIZONA COYOTES: Garth Brooks
BOSTON BRUINS: Kenny Chesney
BUFFALO SABRES: Paul McCarntey
CALGARY FLAMES: Ed Sheeran
CAROLINA HURRICANES: Taylor Swift
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: U2
COLORADO AVALANCHE Luke Bryan
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: The Rolling Stones
DALLAS STARS: Garth Brooks
DETROIT RED WINGS: Kid Rock
EDMONTON OILERS: Shania Twain
FLORIDA PANTHERS: Billy Joel
LOS ANGELES KINGS: Foo Fighters
MINNESOTA WILD: Taylor Swift
MONTREAL CANADIENS: Ed Sheeran
NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Kenny Chesney
NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Billy Joel
NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Billy Joel
NEW YORK RANGERS: U2
OTTAWA SENATORS: One Direction
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Luke Bryan
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Maroon 5
SAN JOSE SHARKS: U2
ST. LOUIS BLUES: Florida Georgia Line
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Zac Brown Band
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Taylor Swift
VANCOUVER CANUCKS: AC/DC
WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Ed Sheeran
WINNIPEG JETS: AC/DC
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MUSIC MUSINGS
Ticketing Trends
•
•
The most tickets are sold in July.
The least tickets are sold in January.
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LIVE EVENTS AND MOBILE
THOUGHTS ON THEATER
The Pulse of Mobile
Ticketing Trends: How Does The
Price of a Show Shift Per Market?
(Average Ticket Price)
•
Mobile tickets are set to account for more than one in two ticket transactions on digital platforms by 2019.
•
Global ticket purchases made from
desktop and mobile devices (including tablets and smartphones) will reach $32 billion
by 2019, nearly twice the amount from this year’s estimate of $16.2 billion.
•
Mobile will account for more than 50%
of digital tickets purchased in the next
few years.
•
•
•
•
Book of Mormon New York: $252
Book of Mormon San Francisco: $198
Book of Mormon Austin: $132
Book of Mormon Winnipeg: $64
Ticketing Trends: How Far In Advance
Are Tickets Booked?
Phone Behavior During Live Events
•
47% of audience members text during shows.
•
67% of millennial concert-goers said they’ve taken a picture of a performer with a smartphone.
•
47% of millennials have filmed part of
a concert.
•
52% of concert-goers use mobile to look up details about a concert.
.
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LIVE EVENTS AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE
Social media at live events is exploding. While YouTube
and digital cameras once were key to extending the shelf
life of live events, now Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
Snapchat have dramatically shifted how fans engage
with their favorite artists and teams in real time. Pop stars
and sports legends alike boast followers in the millions,
and the nation’s most popular festivals and games are
responsible for over a million tweets per event.
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SOCIAL EXPLOSION: MUSIC
Flourishing Festivals
•
32 MM people attend a music festival in the US each year; 46% of these festival attendees are 18-34 years old.
•
14.7 MM millennials go to at least
one US music festival per year.
•
51% of US festival attendees are women, and 49% are men.
•
US festival attendees travel an average of 903 miles to attend a festival.
Festival attendees are also:
• 67% more likely to use Snapchat.
• 69% more likely to use Vine.
• 81% more likely to use Tumblr.
•
InstaFamous – Most Popular Musicians on
Instagram (as of September 2015)
•
•
•
Selena Gomez: 43.9 MM followers
Ariana Grande: 43.2 MM followers
Justin Bieber: 38.7 MM followers
Chart Toppers – Most Popular Musicians on Twitter
(as of September 2015)
71% of US millennials say live tweeting about an event makes it more fun.
In 2015...
• 3.5 MM tweets were sent during the first week of Coachella.
• 1MM tweets were sent during SXSW.
• 28.4 MM tweets were sent during the Super Bowl XLIX.
•
Taylor Swift: 62.74 MM followers
•
•
Lady GaGa: 50.39 MM followers
Justin Timberlake: 47.95 MM followers
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SOCIAL EXPLOSION: SPORTS
Data Usage at the Super Bowl
InstaFamous (as of September 2015)
•
Dallas 2011: 177 GB used. 500k social media posts with photos.
•
Indianapolis 2012: 215 GB used. 600k social media posts with photos.
•
New Orleans 2013: 388 GB used. 1.1MM social media posts with photos.
•
•
•
•
•
•
New York City 2014: 624 GB used. 1.8 MM
social media posts with photos.
Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr: 31.3 MM followers
Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo: 29.9 MM followers
FC Barcelona player Leo Messi: 24.3 MM followers
Colombian soccer player James Rodriguez: 43.2 MM followers
LeBron James: 13 MM followers
Twitter League Leaders
•
The New England Patriots are the most popular NFL team on Twitter, with 1.47 MM followers.
•
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most
popular NBA team on Twitter, with 4.47 MM followers.
•
The New York Yankees are the most
popular MLB team on Twitter, with 1.49 MM followers.
•
The Chicago Blackhawks are the most popular NHL team on Twitter, with 1.1 MM followers.
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REFERENCES
Samuely, Alex. “Mobile Ticketing Transaction Volume to Double by 2019: Report.” Mobile Commerce Daily. 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Sept.
2015. Data retrieved by Juniper Research.
Ulloa, Nina. “32 Million People in the U.S. Attend Music Festivals - Digital Music News.” Digital Music News 32 Million People in the U.S.
Attend Music Festivals Comments. 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Data retrieved by Nielsen.
“U.S. Millennials: Tweeting Live Experiences 2013 | Statistic.” Statista. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
StubHub’s Consumer Insights study, Spring 2014 and Spring 2015
StubHub’s Analytics study, September 2015
Wilson, Elsa. “Can’t Stop The Tweet: How Social Media Is Killing The Concert Experience.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Mar. 2015. Web.
16 Sept. 2015. Data retrieved by T-Mobile
Savarese, Phil. “Decoding Millennial Concertgoers.” YPulse. 31 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
Duncan, John. “GeoMinds: How Location Is Aiding Music Marketers in Their Quest to Reach Millennials This Summer.” GeoMinds How
Location Is Aiding Music Marketers in Their Quest to Reach Millennials This Summer Comments. 10 June 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Data
retrieved by GroupM
Lynch, Joe. “Check Out These Surprising Stats About U.S. Music Festivals.” Billboard. 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
“Twitter: Most-followed Accounts Worldwide as of September 2015 | Statistic.” Statista. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
“Top 100 Instagram Profiles by Followers.” SocialBlade. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
Hammond, Teena. “Stadiums Race to Digitize: How Sports Teams Are Scrambling to Keep Millennials Coming to Games.” TechRepublic. 1
Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Data retrieved by AT&T.
Via Twitter account, accessed 16 Sept. 2015.
Via Twitter account, accessed 16 Sept. 2015.
Via Twitter account, accessed 16 Sept 2015.
Via Twitter account, accessed 16 Sept 2015.
“Top 100 Instagram Profiles by Followers.” SocialBlade. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
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