US survey: 1 in 4 concertgoers say they won’t return

From the Baltimore Sun (unavailable outside the US):

A recent study by WolfBrown, a California-based consulting firm that conducts market research for nonprofit cultural groups throughout the United States, says that 26% of former orchestra attendees nationwide say they’re not yet ready to resume live performances — and many of these reluctant music lovers may never return to the concert hall.

“There’s been an atrophy in demand,” researcher Alan Brown said during a June 27 filmed briefing of results tabulated by his Audience Outlook Monitor, which analyzes monthly survey responses from 660 arts groups.

“This might be the new normal,” Brown said. “I would be very reluctant to think that things are going to get much better than they have been for the last few months.”