Fans care about openers, says survey. But for acts, is bigger better?

Fans care about opening acts, according to a recent survey by UTA and Variety, and these coveted slots remain a way to build a fanbase.

Two graphics from the survey highlight the results.

68% of concertgoers get to the venue early, specifically to see the opening acts, and 53% check them out online before show night. 36% go so far as to follow the openers online before they’ve even seen them perform.

After seeing the show, 52% stream their music, and 50% tell their friends about the artist. 30% bought merch, and 29% say they purchased tickets to a future show by the opener.

Does Size Matter?

The survey does not break down fan interest in openers by venue size, but in my experience, size matters thanks to a phenomenon I call the Dave Matthews syndrome.

Using Dave as an example, no matter how much fans enjoyed the opening act, any act was virtually a placeholder as his fans waited for Dave to hit the stage. They weren’t seeking something new.

But when as an agent, I put an artist in front of 500 or 1,000 people, opening a successful club or small theater show, they would often win many times the number of fans that they had gained from performing in front of 12,000 Dave Matthews fans.

Perhaps fans of a band that draws 500 people are more interested in discovering new music than are fans of a mainstream arena act?

Or perhaps a developing artist can compete live more easily with a club or theater-level act than they can with a polished arena act with a dozen big hits and a million-dollar stage show?

There are exceptions, but experience has shown me that opening for a band two or three levels higher often nets more true fans than opening a massive arena show.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.