Live Nation has released its ‘Power of Live’ study, which suggests people actually value live music more than sex.
According to the survey, 71% of the respondents said they believed live experiences were the “moments that give me the most life.”
Fair enough, live music can be pretty incredible. But, ‘better than sex’? Apparently, live music wins by a narrow margin. “Live music creates more intense emotions than streaming music, and many value it more than sex,” the study states.
“Respondents reported that they were 10% more likely to value live music over sex.”
Of course, the two activities are easily combined for greater pleasure. Earlier, we reported on the relatively high level of festivalgoers that have sex at a festival, or in the general vicinity. But maybe intercourse is playing second fiddle to the music itself.
Live Nation conducted the study in partnership with the Culture Co-op agency, studying the trends of 22,500 live music fans in more than 11 different countries.
Respondents ranged in age from 13 to 65.
Two-thirds of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they attend at least one live festival, concert, or music event per year. Live Nation says music fans in this age group are experiencing “Sensation Deprivation,” thanks to the music industry’s focus on digital presentations.
Keep in mind, this falls into the dubious category of company-sponsored research, which always deserves a skeptical eye. But some of the findings seem plausible, and are backed by the data. Surprisingly, streaming’s surge is driving more people to shows, which is great news for players like Live Nation and Ticketmaster. And the broader industry in general.
“Of course, digital life isn’t dying off — but after a decade of all that posting, pinning, tweeting, snapping, and streaming, people are tapped out. They now recognize the importance of the physical world to their quality of life and are recalibrating their lives with more intention.”
When asked to rate their emotional experience during a live music event, 78% of respondents rated it at an 8 or higher. Live music events and festivals ranked 26% higher than live sporting events, 27% higher than streaming music, and 31% higher than playing video games.
And yes, respondents said they were 10% more likely to prefer listening to live music to having sex (though maybe we’d like to see the actual question posed).
Live Nation also researched emotional intensity in live music fans with the help of a neuroscientist performing a biometric experiment.
The experiment showed an average 53% increase among participants, which is a 2.8-time increase over recorded music.
Live Nation’s study also concluded that fans are more receptive to brands they see at a live event. 67% of global audiences say the more emotionally engaged they are with the music, the more open they are to experiencing new ideas and products.