What the Next Generation Really Wants From Festivals and Gigs

In Partnership with the Department of Education Victoria

If you want to understand the future of live music, ask the people who’ll be running it in ten years. Walk into any high school and you’ll find a generation of creatively fluent students who already know what’s next, because they’re defining it.

More and more, these young creatives are bypassing traditional pathways into the music and events industries. They’re starting earlier, leaning into digital platforms, and turning passion into skills in real time.

For Victorian students, the VCE Vocational Major is one way in. It offers a two-year, applied learning program designed for students who want to gain practical experience in year 11 and 12, with 180 hours of industry-specific Vocational Education and Training (VET) experience in areas like Creative and Digital Media, Events and Tourism, and Music. 

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To find out what these students care about (and what kind of live events they want more of), we surveyed Year 9 and 10 students across two Victorian schools in partnership with the Department of Education Victoria. Their answers are showing a very different future for music, festivals, and everything in between. 

Unsurprisingly, social media has taken over as the number one place young people discover new music. TikTok and Instagram were cited more than Spotify, YouTube, and even friends, proving digital platforms and algorithms now dominate the conversation. While word-of-mouth still matters, it’s clear that curated feeds, influencer amplification, and platform-native content are doing the heavy lifting. 

The future of event marketing will thrive if it can exist both onstage and in-feed, with bite-sized content that cuts through. For music and event organisers, that means meeting audiences where they already are: their feed. 

And when they do connect with a song or an artist, they move on just as fast. While some students named their favourite musician as Billie Eilish or KSI, many said they didn’t have one. This is a generation obsessed with discovery, they want what’s new, what’s niche, and what feels like theirs before anyone else finds it. 

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Diana Nguyen

As a result, smaller gigs and lineups full of emerging acts, unexpected pairings and genre-fluid sets will connect far more with this audience than nostalgic programming built around big-name headliners.

According to the survey, many students resist labelling their tastes altogether. Pop, country, and rap still came out as dominant forces, but even those felt more like interchangeable moods than fixed preferences. 

Today’s listener might jump from a hyperpop remix to an acoustic ballad without blinking. That’s a challenge and an opportunity for curators to step outside the box, embrace the organised chaos and create a unique experience. 

But perhaps the biggest takeaway? Authenticity. The songs these students love aren’t always chart-toppers and what they want from live music isn’t necessarily scale. It’s intimate connection, stripped-back sets, raw moments, and the kind of access that feels hyper personal. 

Diana Nguyen

All of this paints a picture of a music culture that’s more emotionally tuned-in, digitally native, and more creatively open than ever before. And for students who want to be part of it – as photographers, producers, stylists, event planners, sound engineers, or creative directors – there’s so many different pathways. 

The VCE Vocational Major isn’t just another subject – it’s a launchpad. It gives you hands-on experience in the things you’re genuinely passionate about, turning your interests into real-world skills that can shape your future. Whether you’re into music, media, design, or events, it’s a direct pathway to start building a career straight out of high school – doing what you love.

And if this research is anything to go by, it’s a career full of exciting opportunities. 

To learn more about the VCE Vocational Major and explore where it can take you, head to vic.gov.au/VCE.