Here's a look at the top ten "most rocking" cities according to Songkick:
1. Austin, TX – 100 Rock Score; average ticket price of $23.30
2. Madison, WI – 78 Rock Score; average ticket price of $13.05
3. New Orleans, LA – 57 Rock Score; average ticket price of $16.89
4. Las Vegas, NV – 51 Rock Score; average ticket price of $62.76
5. Denver, CO – 44 Rock Score; average ticket price of $33.24
6. Milwaukee, WI– 38 Rock Score; average ticket price of $17.66
7. The Twin Cities, MN – 36 Rock Score; average ticket price of $11.36
8. Seattle, WA – 35 Rock Score; average ticket price of $11.75
9. Portland, OR – 35 Rock Score; average ticket price of $10.33
10. Nashville, TN – 34 Rock Score; average ticket price of $20.13
To determine the Rock Score, Songkick analyzed which cities have the most concerts per capita. This placed Austin at the top, giving them a score of 100.
All of the other cities are ranked against this score, meaning that Madision has 78% as many rock concerts per capita as Austin, New Orleans 57%, and so on.
The study also analyzed concert data from 2007-2010 for major touring acts like Ben Harper, Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden and also for smaller acts. Their analysis found that the long tail of smaller acts has had the fastest increase in tour dates per year over the past four years. In contrast, the most popular acts have had a relatively constant number of tour dates per year. “We think the uptick of smaller, long-tail bands touring in more places than ever before, is a result of a growing awareness of these bands via the Internet,” says Ian Hogarth, CEO of Songkick.
Top Data Showed:
- In 2007 major touring act had an average of 30 gigs; in 2010 they had an average of 31 gigs.
- In 2007 long tail of smaller acts had an average of 22 gigs; in 2010 they had an average of 38 gigs.
To get these numbers, Songkick divided artists into four groups based on their popularity. This their staff determined by the number of users who are tracking the artist and want to see them live on the site. In the study, Songkick found that All Time Low was the band with the most total tour dates from 2007 to 2010.
The rock group had 508 shows, which equals more than one every three days.
"We hope this opens up a discussion about how live music is contributing to artists’ revenues and whether bands can sustainably make a living by going on the road," writes Michelle You, cofounder of Songkick. "What we’re happy about as fans is that our chances of seeing The Antlers (a team Songkick favorite) is much higher now than 4 years ago." Indeed, it looks like small is the new big.
