CMA Music Festival Research Recap

With so many Country music fans in one place, CMA Music Festival presented a prime opportunity to conduct research with this important consumer group.

“Country music is reaching a broader and more diverse audience than ever and we believe these shifts have an impact on our attendee base,” said Karen Stump, CMA’s Senior Director of Market Research. “Our research among Festival attendees about their motivations and experiences related to our event serves as a vital tool for CMA to continuously deliver a memorable and relevant event for our fans.”

Findings from 2014:

• 50 percent of attendees were attending for the first time (48 percent in 2013)
• Among first-time attendees, 52 percent were visiting Nashville for the first time
• 17 percent of first-time attendees reported they had become a fan of the genre recently (within the past one to five years)
• 76 percent of attendees traveled more than 250 miles
• The average distance traveled to attend the festival is 665 miles
• 96 percent of attendees indicated plans or interest in attending again next year
• 82 percent of attendees posted to social media about their daily experience? (75 percent to Facebook, 37 percent on Twitter, 46 percent to Instagram)
• 62 percent stated they became a “new” fan of an artist they discovered at the Festival
• 52 percent were under the age of 40 (slightly up from 50 percent last year)
• 48 percent have an annual household income of $75,000 or more

These preliminary numbers are based on CMA’s onsite/in-person surveying of 437 attendees over the four days. Additional research is being conducted and will result in added insights about CMA Music Festival attendees based on input from more than 2,000 patrons.