US residents most likely to cross borders for live events, says StubHub’s ‘Year in Live Experiences’ report

For a couple of years now, the narrative that millennial consumers prefer “paying for experiences over products” has been widely circulated. Never has the saying been truer for music enthusiasts, especially given how the most predominate age group for live music consumption are 18 to 34 year olds. That can all be statistically confirmed now given the data from StubHub‘s fourth annual “Year In Live Experiences” report.

Stubhub’s general manager of the Americas, Perkins Miller, told Rolling Stone:

“There are a few industry and cultural factors driving the trends we’re seeing. On the industry side, we are seeing artists expand their star power internationally — fans flocked from 80 different countries to watch K-Pop boy band BTS perform — and as a culture, we are traveling further afield to experience live events. The easy availability of apartment rentals and homestays is accelerating this trend. Nothing lets you experience another culture quite like immersing yourself in a live event. In some way, it’s the ultimate way to feel ‘like a local.’”

In 2018, StubHub found that around 200,000 ticket purchasers on its platform traveled to a foreign country to attend one of 30,000 shows. Of those travelers, the United States residents were the most likely to cross borders for a live event. US live music fans are also setting their sights on the UK, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands.

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Countries Most Likely to Cross Borders for a Live Event:

1. United States    
2. United Kingdom
3. Japan
4. Canada
5. Mexico
6. Spain
7. Germany
8. Ireland
9. South Korea
10. France

Top 10 Best-Selling Artists In Global Non-U.S. Markets in 2018:

1. Ed Sheeran
2. BTS
3. Elton John
4. Foo Fighters
5. Paul McCartney
6. U2
7. Drake and Migos
8. Taylor Swift
9. The Rolling Stones
10. Eagles

Top 10 Best-Selling Acts on StubHub in the U.S. in 2018

1. Bruce Springsteen
2. Taylor Swift
3. Elton John
4. Ed Sheeran
5. Justin Timberlake
6. Drake and Migos
7. The Eagles
8. Bruno Mars
9. P!NK
10. Billy Joel

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H/T: Rolling Stone