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As the days get longer and temperatures continue their slow but steady rise, many Americans will begin thinking about the long-awaited start of summer. And with the start of summer, comes an abundance of concerts and live performances to enjoy.
However, with ongoing economic uncertainty, political shifts, and sweeping layoffs impacting Americans across the country, are concerts and live performances still a priority? CivicScience has the most up-to-date figures on the state of concerts in 2025.
Generally speaking, concert season is looking up. As the data show, Americans are less likely to have cut back on spending for live concerts this year. In fact, those who plan to cut back their spending on live performances have dropped six percentage points since 2024.
Gen Z and Millennials are also the most likely concertgoers overall, with Gen Z adults the most likely to attend 3+ concerts. Although platform usage has dropped by two percentage points, Ticketmaster is still the most popular site for buying tickets, leading all other options studied by at least 34 points.
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Concertgoers Are Buying Now, Paying Later
Those who monitor concert trends may have seen the sky-high ticket prices for some of the biggest upcoming tours. So it may come as no surprise that those who attend more concerts are the most likely to anticipate acquiring more debt in the next six months, particularly as this year’s concertgoers are younger.
While some concert tickets may be steep, the Buy Now, Pay Later option offers customers a secondary approach to help them score tickets without paying the full cost right away, and Americans are taking note. Currently, 12% of those planning to purchase event tickets are ‘very’ likely to use the Buy Now, Pay Later option at checkout, while 24% are ‘somewhat’ likely to do so. That’s over one-third of respondents considering taking on debt to see the performers they love.
Use this Data: CivicScience clients leverage data like this to monitor consumer intent in real-time, allowing them to adjust their strategies for customer acquisition and retention.
In short, the 2025 concert season looks promising. With fewer Americans cutting back on spending and younger concertgoers leading the way, the enthusiasm for seeing live performances is so far proving resilient in the face of tariff-driven uncertainty. While higher prices for events add to an already tight economic environment, concertgoers appear willing to soften the immediate blow of higher ticket prices with the help of Buy Now, Pay Later, allowing them to snag their spot despite the higher prices they face.
