Live music in the UK: a tough year caused (also) by picky customers?

The live music industry, in the UK, suffered from a particularly hard 2012. The weather has been tough, with floods and heavy rain affecting the circuit of outdoor events and the struggling economy forced concert-goers to spend less money on their passion. And, finally, at least according Live Nation UK's chief operating officer John Probyn, a major problem was caused by picky customers, who became increasingly difficult to please.

"The public are much pickier than they used to be" Probyn commented. "Fans now expect spectacular shows, with good quality sound and great entertainment – they are looking for that wow factor. [...] We've had people getting in touch to complain that it rained at an outdoor event. One group of girls got in touch because they were unhappy about standing on grass because they were wearing high heels that sunk into the ground" he added. "But, you know, this is a customer-driven industry and the customer is always right".

One reason of this situation, with fans becoming more and more demanding, might be explained considering the "shift in age" factor. According to a survey of 11,000 festival-goers by the awards, indeed, the age cohort that visited festivals most in 2012 were 51-60 year olds, averaging 2.19 events. The average for the under-21s was 1.75.