Concert-Goers’ Budgets Revealed: America and Canada’s Dream Concert Spending
“It’s me, hi! Guess who maxed out their credit card, it’s me!” When Taylor Swift’s ticket resale prices soared over $5,000 for the almighty Eras Tour, it showcased the unwavering dedication of her fans to the world – even if it meant breaking the bank. As the aftermath of the pandemic settles, artists are met with an overwhelming demand from fans to embark on global tours. Securing a seat at their show, however, costs a pretty penny.
We wanted to see how much fans are willing to spend to attend their dream concert or music festival. We surveyed participants in both Canada and the United States to uncover their dream concert investments. Through our analysis, we were able to calculate the average total expenditure that Canadians and Americans are willing to pay to see their favorite artists.
God Bless America (and their bank accounts)
Americans are willing to spend a hefty $728.49 USD to attend their dream concert or music festival. The total cost calculation encompasses the average expenses of gas, tickets, seats, and accommodations.
Rihanna once said “shut up and drive” and 73.7% of Americans agree as they’re eagerly willing to drive 405.7 miles to attend their dream music event. Luckily for Americans, gas is a lot cheaper compared to their friendly neighbors up north. Gas is estimated to cost $51.58 USD to cover those 405.7 miles of driving. Some (20.2%) prefer to soar through the air to their destination, while 5.5% opt for the train. The rest of the respondents (0.7%) will be taking methods of public transportation (via bus, ferry, etc.)
On average, music devotees are allocating about 13% of their monthly income, averaging to about $269.93 USD on tickets alone. The indulgence doesn’t stop there, as 61.1% of respondents are more than okay to cash out an additional $124.92 on favorable seats. This goes to show that seats can make or break your concert-going experience.
On the contrary, 65.6% wouldn’t shell out more cash to stay overnight while attending their dream event. But for the 34.4% that do, an average of $282.06 USD is spent on overnight accommodations.
For the 34.4% who like to stay overnight, they typically spend an average of $282.06 USD for accommodations.
Ka-ching! Biggest concert spenders by state
Up by the US and Canadian border, the state of Montana is America’s biggest concert-going spenders. Montanans are more than happy to pay an epic average of $1,427.14 USD to experience their favorite artist live in concert. Following closely behind, North Dakota residents are ready to dish out about $1,391.29 for the same experience. To finish the top three list off, Georgia is third with an average of $1,142.37 USD.
Inversely, Montana’s neighbor, Idaho, is the nation’s lowest concert spender. Idahoans are only wanting to spend an average of $298.96 for a dream concert experience. That’s a $1,128.18 USD difference between the first and last!
Alaska and Hawaii were not accounted for due to an insufficient amount of data.
Canada’s cost of living (your best life)
Canadians also demonstrate their willingness to spend a large sum of $738.21 CAD to attend their dream concert or music festival. The calculated total cost includes the average price of gas, tickets, seats, and accommodations.
More than half (61.8%) of respondents reveal their willingness to, literally, go the extra mile by opting to drive an average of 802.2 kilometers to their dream concert or music festival. Covering that distance will cost concertgoers about $127.70 CAD. On the other hand, a quarter (25.1%) prefer to fly to the event, while 11.1% choose to take the train. Others (2.1%) say they’ll be taking other methods of public transportation (via bus, ferry, etc.)
Regarding ticket expenses, Canadians are willing to cough up an average of $281.46 CAD, which accounts for approximately 12.5% of their monthly income. The splurging doesn’t end here, however. 60.4% of respondents happily plan to expend an additional $73.01 CAD for a good seat in the venue. Alexa, play “I can see clearly now”!
While 34.4% of participants usually seek overnight accommodations, an average of $256.14 CAD is typically spent on these arrangements.
Canada’s most loyal fanbases go to …
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) secures first place as Canada’s most extravagant concert-goers. NL residents are willing to spend a whopping $1,215.07 CAD to attend their dream music event. Manitobans claim second, preparing to spend an average of $958.61 CAD. Nova Scotians are third as they’re allocating an average of $853.78 CAD towards their concert budget. Canadians are so nice, they’ll support their favourite artists AND the economy simultaneously!
Quebecois can find themselves at the bottom of the list as the least concert-going spenders. They’re only budgeting an average of $622.79 CAD for their dream concert.
The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon were not accounted for due to an insufficient amount of data.?
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Methodology
In June 2023, we conducted two nationwide surveys in both Canada and the United States through a data collection tool. Respondents in both countries were asked the following questions:
- How far are you willing to travel for your dream concert or music festival?
- How would you travel to your dream concert or music festival?
- How much are you willing to spend on tickets to see your favorite artist?
- What percentage of your monthly income would that be?
- Are you willing to splurge more on tickets for better seats?
- If yes, how much more?
- Do you typically stay overnight for concerts or music festivals?
- If yes, how much do you typically spend on accommodations?
The total cost of the ultimate dream concert experience encompassed the average costs of gas, tickets, seating, and accommodations. Gas prices were determined by retrieving the price of gas in each respective location and factoring in the distance individuals were willing to travel (by car).
The average age of Canadian respondents was 34.8 years old. The representative sample comprised 56.4% female, 41.4% male, 1.8% non-binary, and 0.4% transgender. The average age of American respondents was 39.2 years old. The representative sample comprised 51.6% male, 44.2% female, 2.4% non-binary, 0.8% transgender, and 0.1% other.
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