Rising overheads and stagnating fees have made it increasingly difficult for bands to make a living from touring. Meanwhile, consumers’ habits are changing as they weather a cost of living crisis.
Music fans speak about how much they spend on music in an average month and how those habits have changed.
‘Eight CDs and half a dozen gigs’
I buy about eight CDs a month – online, from shops in Newcastle, at gigs and from charity shops. I buy all sorts: jazz, blues, rock, soul, world, reggae and some classical. That’s about £50.
I go to half a dozen gigs a month at about £25 a ticket. I’ll go to the occasional all-day event, where the tickets will be about £40. I went to Cheltenham jazz festival this year – £300 for tickets and accommodation. Transport is about £150 as well.
I buy the occasional book about music, usually biographies, so another £20. I don’t buy as many T-shirts as I used to, unless I like the design or it is a Jackson Browne tour. Then there’s a tenner a month on magazines as well.
I don’t spend anything on streaming. I like to have a physical product and I like being able to play CDs in the car, in the kitchen, in the bedroom or in the man cave where the good hi-fi lives.
That looks like about £400 a month in total. That can’t be right! Dave Sayer, 63, retired trading standards officer, Netherwitton, Northumberland
‘My spending has decreased massively since the pandemic’
Outside Spotify, my spending is very low – typically a few vinyl records a year, one music festival and a handful of gigs. It has decreased massively since the pandemic. I used to go to a hip-hop gig every two weeks, back when I could see my favourite artists for anywhere between £15-30. Nowadays, it’s a minimum of £50 as O2 venues have monopolised hip-hop tours in the UK.
Vinyl production has been hit by supply chain issues and inflation, so the records I used to be able to purchase for £18 are usually at least £30 by default, regardless of whether they are a single or double LP. The secondhand market has become overvalued as well and it’s hard to find a good deal.
Thankfully, independent hip-hop artists are still playing in London’s remaining independent venues and offering better priced tickets. I typically find those with a record label deal are shoved into O2 arenas and even stadiums regardless of whether they have the fanbase to match, as the ticket prices can go all the way up to £180 and offer much greater returns for one show rather than doing two nights at a smaller venue. Patrick Reynolds, 25, working in public affairs, London
‘I resisted the streaming subscription for a long time’
Apart from my monthly £10 subscription to a streaming platform, I might buy one vinyl album a month. I resisted the subscription for a long time, feeling it somehow wasn’t right to have so much music at your disposal; it seemed to devalue the experience and the artists’ craft.
But then I got a free trial with a new phone and now it would be hard to imagine life without it. To make up for it, I’m restarting my vinyl collection that had originally been lost with a move overseas. Having the physical product of a work that’s really special to me prevents it from being diluted among the millions online.
Vinyl is astonishingly expensive, though – in my teens an LP would cost £7 or so – so I buy only one or two a month at £20-£30 each. I’ll go to gigs and concerts about twice a year, for a combined £100 or so.
Sacha Ward, creative director, Cambridge
‘Most of the money I earn goes towards gigs’
I buy either a record or a band T-shirt once a month, and usually go to a local gig every few weeks – that adds up to about £40. I recently bought Charli xcx’s Brat on vinyl as well as a Sports Team T-shirt and cassette. I’ve also got to have Spotify, which makes it nearly £50 monthly. My spending has decreased due to gigs getting less and less affordable, though. I want to support the indie bands so they can afford to keep making their art.
Most recently I’ve to smaller London venues like Koko, Troxy, and the Electric Ballroom, which were once more affordable (around £10-15), but now are not much cheaper than gigs at larger venues like Alexandra Palace or Wembley Arena. I spend a similar amount to my friends: most of the money we earn from part-time work goes towards gigs and records. Donovan, 17, London
‘My interest in buying CDs was rekindled by the reopening of HMV’
I don’t go to concerts every month, but during the Edinburgh festival, I could spend £200 or more on concerts alone. If I go to a live rock or pop concert, that’ll be £75-100 for one ticket. At the moment I only go to two or three classical concerts a year.
I also buy CDs or pop DVDs, on and off. Before streaming I used to buy a lot more. My father used to warn me not to buy too many. This month I’ve only bought one CD – How Does that Grab You by Nancy Sinatra. I stopped listening to as much pop and rock when people started listening online. I didn’t feel that this type of listening suited me. I splash out when an artist I like promotes a new album.
This year so far I’ve also bought one music DVD – the documentary Tina – and two other DVDs of musicals. My interest in buying them was rekindled by the reopening of the HMV shop.
Recently, I bought some merch – a Diana Ross T-shirt – after seeing her Glastonbury slot online and attending her Radio City Concert virtually on Facebook last year. But it was ridiculously expensive as it was delivered from the US. I might be tempted to buy more merch, but the postage costs put me off.
At the moment I’m trying to limit my purchases as the cost of living is high and I don’t actually need any more CDs because I have a big collection. I would love to go to more concerts but they’re often very expensive. Marion WG Fairweather, business English trainer and translator, Edinburgh
‘The idea of buying music is an anathema to my kids’
I’ve cut back on music spending due to parenthood and other responsibilities. My kids are into music, though, and my eldest plays guitar, keyboard, and trumpet so a fair amount goes on tutoring and equipment for him. They are still preteens so they don’t spend anything really, but they get anything they want via streaming services. The idea of buying music is an anathema to them. We take them to gigs and festivals, but they prefer gaming.
I spend £19.99 a month on Spotify for the family. The occasional gig ticket (three for Taylor Swift this month so this is an expensive month). But it’s probably averaging at £50 monthly, once you add smaller gigs like English Teacher and Idles later in the year.
I buy the occasional festival ticket, too – Lindisfarne this year. Vinyl is usually a £40 splurge every other month. So a typical month overall would average about £85. Back in 2010, I spent a year looking at my average spend on music and related activities (clubbing, drinks, music-based video game DLC, etc) and that was closer to £145 a month. Rob Jewitt, 46, media and communications academic, South Tyneside
