You don’t need a research report to figure this one out. Taylor Swift turned a tour into something that moved local economies. Lainey Wilson became one of the biggest names on country radio without changing who she is to fit the mold. Beyoncé built the BeyHive into one of music’s most loyal fan bases. BTS turned ARMY into a global force that goes way past the concert hall. None of that’s a new observation. But a new global study finally puts some numbers behind it, and the numbers are bigger than I expected.
THE NUMBERS
The study is called “Her Frequency,” put out by The Collective and THE TEAM’s music group, and the headline finding is simple: women aren’t a side audience in live music. They’re the foundation of it. Sixty-four percent of women worldwide call themselves fans of live music. Their buying power backs that up — women are projected to control nearly $100 trillion in spending by 2048, and they’re expected to drive about 75% of global discretionary spending by 2030. So if a venue or an artist ignores how women actually engage with a show, they’re ignoring the people footing most of the bill.
WHO’S ACTUALLY PLANNING THE NIGHT
This is the part that stood out to me most. Most of what happens before a show even starts runs through women. The study found 83% of women fans play a key role in creating the group experience — as coordinators, influencers, purchasers, explorers, and stylists. The report calls this the “experience architect,” and honestly, that’s about right. Thirty-five percent say they’re the ones who get the group moving on attendance in the first place. Thirty percent are the ones coordinating everyone. Half of them are actively trying to make the night better, finding something new to do or creating a moment people remember. That’s a lot more than buying a ticket.
It’s not a coincidence the report keeps coming back to Swift, Beyoncé and BTS. Swift, the study says, “redefined fandom as a participatory economy,” building her tours around an “era-based” identity system fans live inside rather than just watch. Beyoncé gets credit for building one of “the world’s most influential fandom ecosystems” with the BeyHive. BTS created what the report calls an “artist-owned fan ecosystem,” built on identity instead of a typical transaction. Put Lainey Wilson’s run in country music next to those three, and you’ve got the same pattern showing up across genres that don’t have much else in common.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR RADIO AND LIVE
For anyone working the programming or promotion side of this business, the takeaway isn’t complicated. Women are already showing up, already organizing the group, and already spending more than they’re typically being asked to spend. They’re also telling researchers directly that they’d spend even more if the experience held up its end. According to the study, 86% of women say they’re open to spending more on live music when the experience feels seamless and immersive. That’s not a hidden opportunity — it’s sitting right there, waiting on programmers and promoters willing to build around how women actually show up instead of how the industry has always assumed they would.
This isn’t a trend about to peak. It’s a correction the business should’ve made a long time ago. The artists already figured it out. The rest of the industry is just catching up.
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David Hill serves as a Music Radio Editor, Columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. A radio lifer with more than 30 years behind the mic, in the control room, and in the program director’s chair, David’s career spans influential stops at brands such as WIYY 98 Rock, WBAL-AM, and 99X. He has worked across multiple formats and ownership groups, including iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media, developing talent, breaking music, and navigating every major industry shift from diary to PPM and terrestrial dominance to streaming disruption. When he’s not writing or analyzing the industry, Dave runs The Tune Farm, a marketing firm built to help artists and brands grow audience the same way great radio always has—by creating connection, not just impressions. He can be reached at David@BarrettMedia.com.
