Vivid Seats Reveals Top Music Festival Season Trends
Results Show EDM is Fastest Growing Genre Across America's Biggest Music Festivals
April 8, 2022 – Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAT), a leading marketplace that utilizes its technology platform to connect millions of buyers with thousands of ticket sellers across hundreds of thousands of events each year, today revealed the top trends across America's biggest music festivals.
After two years of disruptions, it’s clear that people are willing to travel far and wide and cross state lines to see their favorite artists. According to Vivid Seats data, the average distance traveled to attend a music festival between 2021-2022 is 433 miles. On average, festival goers will travel over 800 miles to attend Coachella and over 420 miles to attend Bonnaroo this year.
Just as musical tastes change throughout the years, music festivals evolve the makeup of their lineups to suit shifting consumer demand. By assigning a music genre to each festival performer, Vivid Seats was able to analyze trends from the top music festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits. By charting the percentage of each music genre over the years, it's clear that festivals are changing, as some genres of music grow in popularity, like EDM, while others, like Rock, shrink.
The data for the 2021-2022 music festival season found that:
- EDM is Growing: Not only is Dance/Electronica (EDM) one of the fastest growing genres at music festivals, but the category also had the highest share of artists at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Coachella in 2022.
- Rockabye?: Since 2014, we’ve seen the Rock category decline across music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, with Rock artists making up just 9% of the Coachella 2022 lineup. For fans who want to see their favorite Rock artists live during festival season, your best bet is to head to Bonnaroo, which holds the highest share of Rock acts at 16%.
- Hip Hop/Rap is Growing: The Hip Hop/Rap category has nearly doubled at music festivals since 2014, hitting an all-time high in 2021-2022 lineups— taking a 21% share at Lollapalooza, 17% at Austin City Limits, and 16% at Coachella.
To make sure you are prepared for this year’s festival season, Vivid Seats recommends the following tips:
- Stay Longer to Save: Turns out buying a three- or four-day festival pass can save you money, instead of just purchasing a single-day pass. If you have the time, buying a multi-day pass will be more cost effective, and as an added bonus, you’ll get to experience more of your favorite music and be introduced to some new bands.
- Consider Going VIP (Very Important Perks): Don’t forget the VIP section when looking at festival tickets this season! While these sections vary by festival, they share similar (amazing) amenities that are worth splurging on, including comfortable seating, air conditioning, and access to premier food and beverages.
- Know Your Lineup: Before you leave your house, make sure that you and your friends have reviewed the lineup and put a plan in place for your best festival experience. You don’t want to risk missing any of your favorite songs!
- Prepare to Weather any Weather: Make sure you pack for any kind of weather. That means sunscreen and ponchos, sweatshirts, and tank tops. Your shoes should be comfortable and ready for grass, mud, and of course – dancing.
Vivid Seats has the only loyalty program in the industry where you can earn Reward Credits to spend on future orders. Vivid Seats Rewards is designed to benefit every fan, whether they attend two events a year or twenty. Vivid Seats empowers every fan to get to the live events that shape their most vivid moments and memories. To find tickets to your next favorite festival, visit: www.vividseats.com/concerts/festivals/
About Vivid Seats
Founded in 2001, Vivid Seats is a leading online ticket marketplace committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, artists, and teams they love. Based on the belief that everyone should “Experience It Live”, the Chicago-based company provides exceptional value by providing one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America and an industry leading Vivid Seats Rewards program where all fans earn on every purchase. Vivid Seats has been chosen as the official ticketing partner by some of the biggest brands in the entertainment industry including ESPN, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, Vivid Seats drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people. Vivid Seats is recognized by Newsweek as America’s Best Company for Customer Service in ticketing. Fans who want to have the best live experiences can start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, going to vividseats.com, or calling 866-848-8499.