Research: More than half of Finns think concert tickets are too expensive

Over half of Finns have not bought a concert ticket because the price is too high. This is evident in a recent study. The number of visitors to music events returned to the level of 2018 last year after the corona pandemic break, but has not risen from it this year.

A study commissioned by Teosto and Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland investigated the spending and choices of Finns attending concerts and music events.

According to the results, in the summer of 2024, about one million Finns went to at least one festival or concert. At the same time, 1.5 million considered going to a festival or gig, but didn’t.

Major the single reason for not going was that the ticket was too expensive. 56 percent of the respondents named it as the main reason for the decision. The 16–35-year-olds were the most likely not to go to concerts, but the expensive ticket was also the most common reason for 36-45-year-olds.

On the other hand, the proportion of those who complained about the high price of the ticket was equally high among middle-income and high-income respondents.

In the oldest age groups, going to concerts and music events has decreased somewhat after the corona pandemic.

Worn out most of the tickets for the summer events were sold in advance. According to Nordea’s payment card statistics, ticket sales in the summer months were 20 percent lower than in the summer of 2023.

Coldplay’s series of four stadium gigs in Helsinki has also been one of the reasons for the quieter ticket sales at the end of the summer.

“It is possible that the ceiling in event ticket prices has now unfortunately been reached from the point of view of the profitability of the organization,” says the leading researcher Kari Tervonen From the Omnicom Media Group, which carried out the Teosto and Music Producers study.

In research it was also told how much money Finns spend on entertainment in a year. The most popular destinations are TV and video streaming services and concert tickets.

According to Statistics Finland, in 2022 people spent 150 euros on all cultural events, 150 euros on streaming services, 60 euros on fiction, and about 400 euros per person per year on computers, telephones, television and audio equipment.

The numbers are at the level before the corona pandemic break, and according to the study, they seem to remain the same this year as well. According to Tervonen, the music industry has recovered faster than many other industries after the corona pandemic.