The number of young people attending concerts in Denmark has increased significantly on pre-pandemic levels according to a new study.

Statistics Denmark’s latest Culture Habit Survey shows that one in four of the population attended a gig in the second quarter of 2022, with 38% coming from the youngest age group (16-24 years) – up from 25% in 2019.

Esben Marcher, head of secretariat at trade body Dansk Live, says the development bodes well for the future of the live music business.

“The youngest concertgoers are the audience that helps to ensure that we develop as organisers,” he says. “That the young people, after several years largely without concerts and live music, are so strongly represented among the audience at festivals and at concerts, bodes extremely well for the future of live music.

“THE FIGURES FROM STATISTICS DENMARK CONFIRM THAT THE DESIRE FOR CONCERTS AND FESTIVALS IS THERE”

“There has generally been a lot of talk about the youngest group of concertgoers during and after corona. Both the cultural actors themselves, but also the media, have discussed whether young people want to go to concerts after corona, and whether they can even figure it out.

“The festival season has shown us that young people know how to behave, and the figures from Statistics Denmark confirm that the desire for concerts and festivals is there. Overall, it’s really good news.”

The only age group with lower consumption was the 45-54-year-old category, which fell four percentage points compared to the same three-month period in 2019. However, Marcher stresses the positive numbers are not necessarily a sign that all is well in the industry.

“Many venues are currently experiencing that ticket sales are lower than before corona and that audiences are buying their tickets very late,” he says. “The picture is very mixed, but the tendency at many venues is that the big and well-known names can sell tickets well, but that the audience commits very late, while concerts with the new and slightly smaller names do not have the same search as before corona.”

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