Audiences in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States remain committed to attending live events, even as ticket fraud and inflated resale prices affect a growing share of buyers, according to a new report from ticket resale platform Tixel covered by Australasian Leisure Management.
The report, based on a Kantar survey of 5,107 people across the three markets in mid-2026, found that Australia recorded the highest attendance rate, with 76 percent of respondents attending at least one ticketed live event in the previous 12 months. Respondents had either bought a ticket, attended an event in the past year, or wanted to attend but were unable to do so.
Fraud remains a real concern. Seventeen percent of Australian respondents said they had experienced ticket fraud in the past year, compared with 25 percent in the UK and 29 percent in the United States, according to the report. Among Australian Gen Z respondents, 30 percent reported being defrauded or affected by scalping, compared with 13 percent of consumers aged over 30.
Buyers will pay more for a guaranteed ticket
Resale prices are also squeezing fans. Thirty-eight percent of Australians said they had paid what they regarded as a significantly inflated resale price, compared with 49 percent of UK respondents and 56 percent in the United States, according to the survey.
Despite that, certainty matters more than the cheapest price. Seventy-seven percent of Australian respondents said they would rather pay more for a verified and guaranteed ticket than risk buying a cheaper one without protection, according to the report. Tixel co-founder Jason Webb said fraudulent activity was most likely to occur outside regulated marketplaces.
Buying habits are also shifting later. At the report's Melbourne launch, CG Live music manager Toby McKinnon noted that venues can now sell 30 percent of tickets on show day, according to the coverage. The wider market is still expanding: online event ticketing is estimated at 88.38 billion dollars in 2026, according to Research and Markets, with music concerts and festivals taking the largest share at 36.12 percent of revenue.
The message for the live industry is clear. Demand for concerts and shows is holding up, but fans want safer ways to buy, and platforms that can guarantee a ticket are winning their trust.