Why Live Music is the Key to Unshakable Brand Loyalty in the UK
Brand loyalty has rarely been more difficult to earn or maintain. And that’s why live music can be a powerful differentiator when it comes to driving brand loyalty.
With consumer attention more fragmented than ever, brands need new ways to drive meaningful, long-term loyalty. Loyalty isn’t just a retention strategy—it’s a revenue driver. With nearly a third of UK adults abandoning brands out of boredom (46% among Gen Z), live music offers a way to create deeper, experience-driven connections that translate into higher engagement and spending.
This generation seeks out brands they consider creative, cool, and linked to memorable experiences. Whether by discounts, exclusive access, or elevated experiences, tapping into the UK’s thriving live music scene can help brands captivate audiences and hold onto their attention.
Here’s how.
Live Music Builds Emotional Connections
While perks are often welcome, creating a gateway to live music for customers isn’t like offering a free coffee or 20% off toothpaste.
As brands compete with an ever-increasing number of loyalty programmes, loyalty is no longer just about transactions but about creating emotional bonds with customers. While perks like a free latte on Tuesdays provide a quick buzz, their impact pales in comparison to the lasting emotional high of a live experience. That’s what makes experiential offers such a uniquely powerful addition to any loyalty scheme.
And of all the experiences to choose from, heading to a live music event stirs up emotions like almost nothing else.
According to our UK research, 80% of fans say attending a concert, festival, or gig is one of the most emotionally powerful experiences they get to have.
It stirs up passion, excitement, and a heightened sense of connection. Crucially, that peak emotional state converts to far higher levels of engagement with the brands they associate with it. Two-thirds say the more emotionally intense the experience, the more likely they are to connect with the brands connected to it.
Live Music Enhances Loyalty Across All Customer Profiles
While travel, shopping, restaurants, and movies are all popular ways for global consumers to spend their discretionary income, live music surpasses all of them.
This is particularly true in the UK, where live music is deeply woven into the culture and heritage.
According to our research, over half of Brits have headed to a live music event in the last year, with many attending multiple gigs or festivals.
But don’t assume you know the typical live music fan. Our insights team conducted a study called “Fan DNA” to uncover the distinctiveness and emotional drivers of UK live music fans. The findings revealed a wide range of age groups and motivations. For instance, there are the outgoing and gutsy ‘relentless enthusiasts’ who don’t miss an opportunity to head to a gig, the ‘mass mainstreamers’ drawn to the buzz of big-name headliners, and ‘the sidekicks,’ a group that tags along with friends, just as happy browsing branded pop-ups as watching the main stage.
The breadth of this UK fanbase makes live music an invaluable way to strengthen and enhance an existing brand loyalty scheme, whatever its core demographic or category.
of Brits say they’re more likely to join a loyalty program if it offers live music perks
say it makes them keen to spend more with a brand.
Live Music Offers Endless Opportunities for Loyalty Programmes
From providing pre-sale access to tickets, to VIP experiences, ticket competitions and discounts, live music offers a vast list of options for brands to engage customers.
Here’s how three brands recently used live music in their customer loyalty programs.
A national retailer partnered with UK festivals to boost awareness of its loyalty program, sponsoring VIP areas and offering a branded festival pass with purchase rewards.
The campaign achieved remarkable results, including 99% unprompted sponsor awareness and positive impressions among 75% of festival-goers, surpassing the brand’s goals.
Another festival sponsor used its rewards app to provide pre-sale tickets and VIP access while offering on-site perks like charging stations.
Among the brand’s customers attending the festivals, 82% downloaded the loyalty app, and the campaign drove 92% brand awareness among all festival attendees.
A third brand delighted their loyalty members with unique perks onsite, from pop-ups selling essentials to on-site giveaways and a DJ.
The initiative achieved 96% brand awareness, an 87% positive impression rate among festival-goers and 75% had either joined or intended to join the brand’s loyalty programme.
While each brand’s strategy differed, all three drove significant gains in brand awareness, perception, and – crucially when it comes to judging loyalty – customer consideration.
Pay with Points: An Even Easier Way to Buy Tickets
The beauty of offering access to live music experiences to existing loyalty customers is that it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Leveraging a “Pay with Points” capability, brands can tap into our existing customer experience to provide their loyalty members with a seamless option to use their points as currency at check out, offsetting the cost of their live event tickets.
In fact, three in four live music fans said they would be motivated to sign up for a brand’s loyalty program if it allowed them to use points to purchase live music tickets.
The Competitive Advantage
The diversity of live music experiences lets brands tailor their offers to meet specific loyalty objectives. For example, ticket giveaways can be a brilliant tool to drive a short-term uplift in awareness and build up excitement around the brand. But if the goal is to create an emotional connection and leave existing customers feeling appreciated or deliver a longer-term push to sign-ups for a loyalty scheme, then exclusive access and/or elevated experiences can be a more effective route.
In a market where customers churn easily, brands leveraging live music aren’t just engaging consumers—they’re locking in loyalty that translates to long-term growth.
