A new study commissioned by Eventfinda TixSuite has revealed that while the demand for live events remains high, Australians are growing weary of ‘junk’ ticketing fees charged by legacy ticketing platforms.

The research, conducted in collaboration with Pureprofile, involved a nationally representative sample of 1,010 individuals aged between 18 and 64.

The findings suggest that 81% of Australians have attended at least one live event in the past year. Of these, 44% attend 1-3 live events a year, while 25% attend between 4 and 11 per year. 67% of Australians typically purchased tickets to live events through major ticketing companies, compared to 20% who buy through event websites and 11% who purchase via venue websites.

But dissatisfaction with the current ticketing model is clear. 79% of Australians agree that tickets to live events are too expensive, with only 3% disagreeing with this sentiment. Furthermore, 35% of Australians are spending over $100 per ticket on average.

Transparency, or lack thereof, in ticketing fees is a major issue. Only 40% of Australians say they understand the various fees and charges around tickets, and a whopping 72% ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they would be more accepting of ticketing fees if there was more transparency around why they were charged.

CEO of Eventfinda TixSuite, James McGlinn, said: “It is clear that Aussies continue to value experiences very highly, with many continuing to spend money on attending live events even as the cost of living continues to rise. They also continue to attend events despite many having a range of grievances with the way ticketing is done in Australia, and unsurprisingly we’ve found that the majority would like more transparency from ticketing providers when it comes to the fees attached to most live event tickets. This research confirms our thoughts that ticketing in Australia is broken and ripe for disruption, with trust in ticketing providers running low.”

Eventfinda TixSuite, a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ticketing software model, was launched in Australia this year. The company aims to disrupt the legacy ticketing services by giving venues, promoters, and event organisers control over their ticketing for an affordable fixed monthly rate.