Why people talk through concerts
It's not only the fans that are to blame
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Why people talk through concerts
Solving the concert chatter problem requires more than blaming fans.
Why it matters
It's a common topic within the music industry: keeping fans quiet while a band performs on stage. Here in the Netherlands, this is called the "Dutch Disease," but from my experience visiting concerts worldwide, it happens everywhere.
Fans should enjoy live music, one of their most intimate experiences with artists, as best as possible. It’s in everybody's interest in the music industry to solve this problem and try to get fans to stop talking at concerts.
How it works
Fans are often blamed, which makes sense since they talk during concerts.
I've seen many campaigns targeted at stopping fans from talking at concerts, ranging from simple flyers and posters at venues to handing out lollipops to visitors to keep them quiet.
However, changing people's behaviour isn't self-evident. Blaming fans alone is too narrow a vision.
Let's examine other factors contributing to fans speaking during concerts—this may lead to new insights into how to keep fans quieter.
The show
Music is difficult to watch. In a venue, you see the artist performing from below, and especially with electronic acts, you don't know what's going on.
Shows need to be engaging for the entire venue. Artists are responsible for keeping everybody entertained and engaged in an immersive concert experience from the front to the back.
While many artists understand this, most shows I've seen in my life (and there are many) need improvement.
A good musician is not necessarily a good performer. Music and shows are two different products that require specialisation.
The venue
Venues are also responsible for keeping their visitors engaged and immersed in the show as much as possible. It’s about the details, such as the placement of bars and the sound levels.
In an ideal world, the entire audience would have uninterrupted views of the stage. However, I live in a country with tall people, so it can sometimes be challenging to see the stage, which makes it hard to immerse myself in the concert experience.
The marketing
Concerts are a night out—an experience. It's not rational; it's emotional. So, like many aspects of marketing, the best way to market shows is to undersell and overdeliver.
Music is sold through word of mouth, possibly leading to mismatches between artists and fans.
When friends enthusiastically promote a show to their friends and their friends come along, the show must be outstanding for people to invest their time in it.
Enhanced storytelling is beneficial in this context. However, based on my marketing experience with venues, agencies, and artists, it is nearly impossible to effectively handle all the storytelling necessary to promote club shows at this level.
Is all chatter is unwanted?
Yes, I also talk during concerts. I enjoy discussing briefly with my friends what we observe on stage, whether it's a musician performing well, a recognised sample, something noticeable in the visuals, or simply if we like the show.
At times, conversation enriches the concert experience. Not all chatter is negative chatter.
Yes, but...
I haven't searched thoroughly enough if there is research on this topic. Anthropologist Wendy Fonarow identified zones in venues and found that chatter increased further back in the club.
My two cents from the perspective of persuasive communication science:
I don't think fans come to a concert intending to talk. Yet they still behave differently than expected.
I immediately think of the intention-behaviour gap theory, the reasoned action approach, and the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975, among others).
Examining people talking at concerts using these theories could be an outstanding graduation research topic for persuasive communication students.
Take action now
Artists can consider actions to keep fans more engaged and immersed in their show, which may help prevent fans from talking during their set.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Why can't people just stop talking at concerts? (RTL Today)
Ask the indie professor: Why do people talk at gigs? (The Guardian)
The loudmouth at the concert: Why can't people stop talking and listen to the music? (Salon)
Intention-Action Gap (The Decision Lab)
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
New fans come from the actions of current fans (The Fanbase Builder)
How to leverage user intent (The Fanbase Builder)
