Sorry, we’re closed: Measuring the effects of a real-life experiment on motivations for visiting pop concerts

Kevin Belzer; Martijn Mulder; Erik Hitters

doi:10.2478/ijmbr-2026-0004

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Sorry, we’re closed: Measuring the effects of a real-life experiment on motivations for visiting pop concerts

International Journal of Music Business Research

AHEAD OF PRINT

By: Kevin Belzer, Martijn Mulder and Erik Hitters

Open Access

|Mar 2026

Abstract

This study investigates to what extent the long-term absence of live music affects the visitor motivations of concert visitors. A quantitative survey using the Live Music Motivation Scale (LMMS) was conducted among concert attendees immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022 (n = 421) and compared to data of pre-lockdown concert visitors (n = 749). The results show significantly increased willingness to collectively experience, discover and escape after the long-term absence of live music. Also, being there is of greater importance to young concert visitors (age 18-25 years old) after the lockdown compared to before the pandemic. Furthermore, a comparison of age groups shows that togetherness and being there are more important motivations to visit concerts for youths than for older visitors. These results may help music industry professionals to gain a better insights in the value of live music and in how a temporal absence of live music supply affects the demand and concertgoers motivations.

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