According to a 2023 study by Headphones Addict, there are 300 different genres haunting radios and clubs around the world, including 29 just in rock music.
The differences between them aren’t important (apart from the fact that the shades of rock are fought over like a stick between two dogs), but who keeps genres in vogue can teach us a lot. For instance, rock – all kinds – is still the second most popular thing to listen to, behind pop. Not all is quite as it seems, though.
Streaming
The classic idea of live entertainment – e.g. a ticketed, in-person event at a real-life location – isn’t always compatible with the modern reality. Anybody can host a live event via internet platforms, whether a conversation, a musical performance, or a multiplayer game.
YouTube set much of this off, but most social media pages allow users to access streaming controls to show something off to their friends, or whoever stumbles upon their channel.
At the heart of this trend is the interaction between audience and presenter, a concept common to TV shows and now casino developers. Today, live events can feature a feed into the Betfair Live Casino, for example.
Interactive streams of blackjack, roulette, and even wheel-based experiences similar to Wheel of Fortune mean that there’s no longer a need to visit a physical premises to play most casino games.
Top Genres
Live music has a different take on that. Concerts are still well-attended, supported, and funded, without much of an intrusion from digital. A collaborative study by Bandsintown and MidiaResearch suggested that 39% of gig-goers wanted to visit more gigs (15% said less).
As mentioned, rock stood out as one of the top genres, with 65% of respondents considering it a favourite. The paper didn’t delve into subgenres, and seems to have included metal under the rock umbrella.
Interestingly, the previously mentioned Headphones Addict study demonstrated that popular genres aren’t always represented at festivals.
Pop, the world’s favourite music style, only accounts for 8% of global festival line-ups, ranking fourth. In comparison, EDM or Electronic Dance Music leads the way, accounting for 38% of all performers and 318 festivals.
Rock, this time lumped in with indie, appeared at 28% of events. Put another way, pop – ironically – is not well-supported in terms of live events.
Ticket Prices
Of slight concern is that only 39% of young people, those over 18 and into their 20s, are showing interest in live music. This number is down 7% since 2019. The reason for this slump has been covered extensively in the media – ticket prices.
Sky News reports that Bruce Springsteen, for example, had rear tickets selling for £120 in May 2024. Booking agents claim that high prices are due to fans’ willingness to pay exorbitant fees to attend. The government says that any cap on ticket costs would knock £183m from the economy.
So, in other words, ticket prices are unlikely to come down anytime soon.
