Now set to become the highest-grossing tour of all time, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has become one of the biggest social events of the year, bringing together thousands of fans who spared no expense on tickets, stylish outfits, travel and accommodations.1
As the post-pandemic heightened “fear of missing out” (FOMO), ticket prices for gigs in the UK have skyrocketed, and after many fans were unable to secure a Taylor Swift ticket — SeatPick were keen to uncover what length fans would really go to just to bag concert tickets and see their favourite artists live.
SeatPick’s survey of 3,000 respondents revealed the shocking sacrifices people would make just to bag a ticket to their favourite artist’s concert, including skipping showering for a month, giving up on a holiday and EVEN shaving all of their hair off.
______________________
Key findings:
- Almost 4 in 5 would skip showering for an entire month to see their favourite artist live (79.80%)
- Almost a third of respondents would dip into rent and mortgage savings to pay for concert tickets (31.40%) and over 1 in 6 would use money saved for education (17.80%)
- Almost 3 in 10 (28.20%) would skip a friend or relatives wedding, and almost 1 in 5 would skip a funeral (18.80%)
- One in eight fans (11.90%) would spend upwards of £1,000 for a concert ticket
______________________
Q1: What would you be willing to do to see your favourite artist live?
| What would you be willing to do to see your favourite artist live? | % responded with yes |
| Skip showering for a month | 79.90% |
| Give up a vacation | 57.20% |
| Camp outside the venue for a week | 48.90% |
| Shave all your hair off | 36.50% |
| Miss a friend or relatives wedding | 28.20% |
| Miss a friend or relatives funeral | 18.80% |
| Reschedule your OWN wedding | 7.40% |
| Lose all of your friendships | 6.50% |
| Camp outside the venue for a month | 5.10% |
| None of the above | 1.30% |
SeatPick can reveal that almost four in five fans (79.9%) would skip showering for a whole month if it meant they could see their favourite artist live. Almost two in five respondents (36.5%) would even shave off their hair, while a shocking 6.50% admitted that they would be okay with losing all of their friendships if it meant seeing their favourite singers live.
Not only this, but fans would sacrifice several surprising life events to ensure they secure a space at their favourite artists’ concerts — from Taylor Swift’s iconic Eras Tour to Harry Styles ‘Love on Tour’. Almost three in five respondents (57.20%) admitted that they would give up a holiday to get to see their favourite artist live, almost one third (28.20%) would skip a friend’s or a relative’s wedding, and as many as one in five (18.80%) would miss a friend’s or a relative’s funeral — with results showing that one in ten Gen Z respondents (10.35%) HAVE skipped a funeral for a concert compared to one in twelve millennials (8.86%). Some of the most loyal fans were evidently surveyed, with almost one in 12 (7.40%) admitting that they would consider rescheduling their own wedding in order to be at their favourite artist’s tour.
SeatPick’s survey also found that nearly half of respondents (48.9%) would camp outside of the concert venue for an entire week — despite many large venues issuing statements ahead of popular tours prohibiting fans from camping — highlighting that dedicated fans will do just about anything to see their favourite artist live. Fans may think camping for a week is worth it for the concert, but just one in twenty fans (5.1%) would consider camping for a whole month.
Q2: What measures would you consider taking to afford a ticket to your favourite artist’s concert?
| What measures would you consider taking to afford a ticket to your favourite artist’s concert? | % responded with yes |
| Borrow money from family or friends | 51.20% |
| Dip into my rent or mortgage savings | 31.40% |
| Take on a side hustle to save up for the ticket | 25.40% |
| Use money set aside for transport expenses | 23.80% |
| Utilise money saved for education | 17.80% |
| None of the above | 14.70% |
| Sell my car and purchase a cheaper one to cover the ticket expenses | 3.10% |
SeatPick‘s study revealed that many fans would be willing to borrow money from friends and family to afford concert tickets, with over half of respondents reporting that they would do so (51.2%). The results also exposed that as many as 1 in 3 fans (31.4%) would dip into their rent and mortgage savings to pay for tickets, highlighting just how important these events are to fans when compared to long-term necessities. Interestingly, a quarter of fans (25.4%) would opt for a side hustle and use these additional earnings to pay for concert tickets but a staggering one in six (17.80%) would use money saved for education.
Q3: How much money would you be willing to spend on a single ticket to see your favourite artist live?
| How much money would you be willing to spend on a single ticket to see your favourite artist live? | % responded with yes |
| Between £150 and £300 | 27.70% |
| Between £300 and £500 | 23.60% |
| Up to £150 | 21.70% |
| Between £500 and £1000 | 11.90% |
| £1000+ | 9.40% |
As concert ticket prices surge in the UK, SeatPick’s survey can reveal that almost one third of fans (27.7%) would spend between £150 and £300 to see their favourite artist live. One in eight (11.9%) would spend between £500 and £1000, while fewer than one in ten (9.4%) would consider spending over £1000 for a ticket to their favourite artist’s concert. This is great news for UK fans, as the starting price for a resale ticket to the UK leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour starts from as low as £294 on SeatPick’s ticket comparison platform.
