A new study suggests consumers are in no hurry to attend live music concerts once social distancing restrictions due toCOVID-19are relaxed.
But, the survey found, the lockdown has sparked what could be an ongoing interest in livestreams.
Thestudyby United Talent Agency and SightX founds that only 39 percent of respondents said they will attend an arena or stadium concert or a music festival within the first month after COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Forty-seven percent indicated they would attend a live show in a smaller venue.
During the lockdown, fans have been experiencing live music in different ways. Forty-six percent of fans said they have viewed livestreams and 73 percent of them said they would continue to do so even when live music events are back.
“Prior to COVID-19, the appetite for virtual concerts was limited,” the study’s authors wrote. “Now, optimizing the virtual experience may be critical to the future of live music.”
Earlier this month, U.S. bioethicist Zeke Emanuel toldThe New York Timesit will be quite some time before concerts and music festivals are even allowed to happen again. "Realistically we’re talking fall 2021 at the earliest,"he said. California governor Gavin Newsomalso predicteda slow return to live music events. "The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine," he said.
The study of 1,091 U.S. consumers of entertainment content aged 18 to 54 was conducted between April 3 and 11.