Live Nation’s global Living for Life report, surveying 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 in 15 markets (or, as you may know them, countries) found that concerts are now the world’s top form of entertainment, ranking above sports, movies and – yes – sexual intercourse (or, as I recently and unpleasantly heard it dubbed, “inty”). If limited to one type of entertainment for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents chose live music, versus going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). They were also more than twice as likely to choose seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) over sex (30%).

The magic to both gigs and sex depends on finding that elusive sweet spot between familiarity and novelty, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Of course it happens only rarely – but it’s the memory of when they did, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to go out on that date, or shell out for those tickets. Materially, of course, they starkly diverge. Perhaps the most revealing truth we can glean from this promotional survey on sexual versus musical serendipity is that the pursuit of one is much more fraught than the other. Given the bad behaviour, desultory encounters and even open hostility that seem to define dating at the moment, it’s no wonder people say they’d rather go to a gig instead.

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