Spending on live entertainment rose an $21 per capita from 2014 to 2024 in Tennessee, according to new data from Ticket Compare.
The website said said Tennesseans spent $47 per capita on live entertainment last year, compared to $26 in 2014. In all, this pushed spending on spending on live entertainment here up to $336 million last year up from $170 million in 2014, the study said.
The study said live entertainment is booming, and so are the prices. In the third quarter of 2025, the average concert ticket cost $128.46, up 34 percent from the same period just six years earlier, according to the Pollstar music industry data platform.
The study said musicians are cashing in. Among the top 100 touring artists this year, the average show grossed more than $2.4 million, up 29 percent from a year ago, Pollstar said.
Even so, Americans are spending – and showing up – in record numbers. A 2024 Deloitte survey found that 61 percent of consumers attended at least one live event, whether a concert, comedy show, or theater performance, in the past six months, averaging seven events each.
Younger generations, especially Gen Z and millennials, are leading this cultural revival, treating live experiences as essential rather than occasional splurges.
The states that spent most for live entertainment per capita were: Virginia ($446), Hawaii ($408), and California ($322), according to Ticket Compare.
At $47 per capita, Tennessee ranked 45th, tying with North Dakota, according to the study.