A New Report Has Found That Australians Prefer Live Music To Movies, Sport & Even Sex

A new report from Live Nation has found that Australia’s favourite form of entertainment is live music. The report would survey 40,000 people across 15 countries, and found that over four in 10 Australian’s would choose live music over sports, movies and even sex.

Despite the growing damage to our wallets, live music only continues to grow as our preferred form of entertainment.

According to Live Nation’s Living for Live report, concerts have overtaken movies, sports and surprisingly, sex, as our leading form of entertainment.

The survey, conducted with 40,000 people across 15 countries, highlights how fans are shaping their lives around the music they love.

Impressively, we Aussies are leading the pack, with 42 per cent of Australians sharing that they would choose live music over any other form of entertainment. As the report would put it, live music provides “life milestones, expressions of identity, and shared experiences” that not only have a massive impact on those who attend, but also entire economies.

You need only cast your mind back to last year, where Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was boosting entire city economies due to the high demand her tour was bringing in. The economic sensation was so impressive that it was found that Swift had contributed $4.3 billion USD to the county’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Live Nation’s report would argue not only that Swift has this impact, but also that live music generally does, as festival weekends fill hotels and Airbnb properties, while also drawing significant foot traffic to local restaurants and retailers. According to the study, nearly six in ten Australian fans travel to shows annually, and 76 per cent spend on food and beverages around live music events.

As a result, the report would go on to say that “concerts are the new life milestones”, with 78% of Aussies calling a concert one of their most memorable life moments, and 63% plan their calendars early to catch every show. More than 7 in 10 fans say concerts are their go-to way to celebrate life’s big moments.

Some might find the discovery that more Aussies prefer live music to sex surprising. These people clearly have never experienced the sheer bliss that is Steven Wilson performing ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing‘ (those who know, know). But this couples with the trend that Gen Z are, in fact, having less sex compared to previous generations due to the stress factors in their lives. So don’t take it personally!

“Live music has a unique power to bring people together,” commented Kristy Rosser, Live Nation’s Senior Vice President, Head of Media and Sponsorship in Australia and New Zealand.

Rosser added, “Fans aren’t just attending a concert. They’re part of something bigger. They travel, they connect, and they create memories that stay with them for life. Here in Australia, we see that passion every day. The Living for Live report captures the heart of that experience and shows how live music continues to inspire, unite and shape culture across the world.”

You can check out the full Living for Live report here.