An Investigation Into the Factors That Motivate an Individual to Attend a UK Rock Music Festival

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Cardiff Metropolitan University School of Management

An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival.

Kiera Walters ST20042200

BA (Honours) Event Management

April 2018

Declaration

“I declare that this dissertation has not already been accepted in substance for any degree and it is not concurrently in candidature for any degree. It is the result of my own independent research except otherwise stated.”

Kiera Walters

Abstract

The research aimed to identify individual’s motivations to attend UK rock music festivals. It critically explored how peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, and cultural capital and escapism influence attendance at UK rock music festivals. The project is broken down into five main sections; introduction, literature review, methodology, results and discussion and a conclusion and recommendations.

The researcher looked at previous studies and literature surrounding the topic question to provide a basis for the primary research and to identify any gaps in the research. It was concluded that there was a lack of research surrounding motivations to attend UK rock music festivals specifically.

The researcher conducted qualitative research using a semi-structured interview, interviewing nine different individuals who had either planned to attend a UK rock music festival or had done so previously. Nine interviews were conducted by the end of the research.

Once the data had been collected a thematic analysis was used to identify the individual motivations to attend. The findings show that there are always more than one motivating factor, although significantly within UK rock music festivals, it is all about the music. There are contributing factors that make an individual want to go but ultimately if the headline acts and the overall music is not right then the individuals lose that motivation to want to go.

Word Count – 13,927

Acknowledgements

I would firstly like to thank my dissertation supervisor, Dewi Jaimangal-Jones for your continued helped getting me through this project, I am so grateful for your support throughout this year.

I would like to thank everyone that took part in the research, particularly all of the interview participants for taking time out of your busy lives to help me.

My family and friends who always believed in me, in particular my Mom and my Sister who are always there when I need them.

Lastly my partner Matt, who without, this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you for always being there to pick me back up.

Contents

1.0 Introduction ...... 8 1.2 The Research Problem ...... 9 1.3 Dissertation Title ...... 9 1.4 Dissertation Aim ...... 9 1.5 Dissertation Objectives ...... 9 1.6 Dissertation Structure ...... 10 2.0 Literature Review ...... 12 2.2 Motivation Introduction ...... 12 2.3 Motivational Theories ...... 12 2.3.1 Content Theories – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ...... 13 2.3.2 Content Theories – Alderfer’s ERG Theory ...... 13 2.3.3 Content Theories – Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory ...... 13 2.3.4 Process Theories – Vroom’s Expectancy Theory ...... 14 2.4 Motivation to Attend Events ...... 15 2.5 Demographics ...... 16 2.6 Push Factors ...... 16 2.7 Pull Factors ...... 18 2.8 Conclusion ...... 19 3.0 Methodology ...... 22 3.1 Introduction ...... 22 3.2 Choosing a Type of Research ...... 22 3.3 Quantitative Research ...... 23 3.4 Qualitative Research ...... 23 3.5 Combination of Research ...... 23 3.6 Qualitative Data Collection ...... 25 3.7 Positives and Negatives of a Semi-structured Interview...... 25 3.8 Piloting ...... 26 3.9 Sampling...... 26 3.10 Interview Design and Structure...... 26 3.11 Analytical Process ...... 27 3.12 Reliability and Validity ...... 27 3.13 Ethical Issues ...... 28 3.14 Constraints ...... 28 4.0 Results, Analysis and Discussion ...... 30 4.1 Introduction ...... 30

4.2 Background Questions ...... 30 4.3 Escapism ...... 30 4.4 Socialisation ...... 31 4.5 Festival Experience ...... 33 4.6 Cultural Capital ...... 34 4.7 Peer Pressure ...... 36 4.8 Secondary Factors ...... 37 4.9 Musical Preferences ...... 38 5.0 Conclusion ...... 42 5.1 Introduction ...... 42 5.2 Aim of Research ...... 42 5.3 Summary of Key Findings ...... 42 5.4 Conclusions and Further Research ...... 43 5.5 Limitations ...... 45 5.6 Recommendations ...... 45 6.0 Reference List ...... 47 7.0 Appendices ...... 52 Appendix 1 – Ethics Approval ...... 52 Appendix 2 – Participant Information Sheet ...... 1 Appendix 3 – Participation Consent Form ...... 2 Appendix 4 – Participant Invitation Letter ...... 3 Appendix 5 – Semi-structured Interview ...... 4 Appendix 6 – Interview Transcripts ...... 6

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.0 Introduction

The researcher aimed to identify what motivates individuals to attend UK rock music festivals. The purpose of the project was to focus on the following factors; peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, escapism and cultural capital and their effect on individuals choosing to attend a UK rock music festival.

The principles of motivation have been greatly studied in-depth, however many of the original theorists related their motivational theories to the work place environment. The researcher was able to make associations between the original motivation theories and the research aim which was explored further throughout the secondary research. Many authors believe that these motivational theories will always be the basis behind motives.

Moutinho (1987:16) describes motivation as a “state of need, a condition that exerts a ‘push’ on the individual towards certain types of action that are seen as likely to bring satisfaction”. This statement is applied to both the workplace environment and the motivations to attend music festivals. Moutinho (1987) describes motivation as a push, the researcher has searched further into the motivations to attend a UK rock music festival and based the objectives around Crompton and McKay’s (1997) Push and Pull Factors which focuses more on individuals motivations to attend events. The researcher aimed to research into whether the motivations differ slightly from a generalised event to a rock music festival, can the event theories such as Iso-Aholo’s (1982) Seeking Dichotomy apply directly to a specific genre of event.

Rivera et al (2016:1088) states that,

Festivals are experiential products that may be classified in a diversified tourism product portfolio as event tourism attractions that draw local, domestic, and international event attendees to specific destinations during specific time intervals.

There are however many types of festivals, the researcher chose to focus their research on rock music festivals. As supported by Feustle (2014) defining rock music has been a long standing discussion amongst authors and the history of rock music is often debated, although it is highlighted that many sub-categories of rock music include heavy metal, punk and blues-rock to name a few. Simonelli (2012) demonstrates that rock music through the years began as a counter- culture ranging from folk-rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, hard rock and glam rock, including artists such as The Beatles, Buddy Holly then progressing to heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. It is important to note that for the purpose of the research the researcher defines a rock music festival as involving at least one of the previously stated genres

8 within it and this can include festivals such as Glastonbury Festival. Although Glastonbury Festival involves many genres of music, rock music is included throughout the festival.

The researcher is aware of the importance of music festivals across the UK, Getz (1997) states that events that involve an overnight stay lead to greater economic benefits - Mintel (2013) supports this statement and highlights a prime example that £26.5 million is generated as off-site spend due to Glastonbury Festival. Music Festivals are highly important to the UK industry as they boost the economy by at least £864 million a year as well as provide 19,700 full-time jobs (Mintel, 2013). This shows the importance of being able to identify individual motives to attend a music festival.

1.2 The Research Problem

Whilst conducting secondary research throughout the study it became apparent that there is a lack of research specifically on UK rock music festivals. The majority of the research is primarily based on motivations within the work environment and where research has been conducted specifically on events the finding have specified that the results may differ dependent on the type of event. It cannot be assumed that an individual’s motivation to attend a food festival would be the same as a music festival and the assumption that it is primarily down to the music has been tested within the primary research. The researcher has carried out primary research to attempt to fill the gap in research specifically relating to individuals motives to attend a rock music festival, this is an advance on the current literature surrounding the topic question. The research will allow for festival organisers to identify what attracts their target audience so they can effectively promote their festivals as well as use the research to expend further in future relevant research.

1.3 Dissertation Title

An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival.

1.4 Dissertation Aim

To critically explore how peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, cultural capital and escapism influence attendance at UK rock music festivals.

1.5 Dissertation Objectives

1. To critically evaluate the academic literature surrounding motivational theories, peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, escapism and cultural capital in relation to motivations for attending UK rock music festivals.

2. To explore and evaluate the extent to which peer groups, musical preferences and cultural capital motivate individuals to attend a UK rock music festival.

3. To explore and evaluate the extent to which opportunities for socialisation and escapism motivate individuals to attend UK rock music festivals.

4. To conclude on the key influences for participants attending UK rock music festivals and make recommendations as to how festival organisers can benefit from the data collected.

1.6 Dissertation Structure

The researcher has attempted to answer the research question throughout five main chapters including; the introduction, literature review, methodology, results and finally the conclusion.

The introduction provides the reader with background information surrounding the topic question setting the scene for the research and providing the reader with an insight into what the purpose of the project is. The literature review discusses previous research and findings surrounding the research topic identifying the gaps in the research. The methodology discusses how the primary research has been conducted and the reasoning behinds the methods of choice. The results discuss the findings of the primary research using the analysis discussed within the methodology and finally the conclusion will conclude the research question and aim to answer it whilst providing recommendations for future research about UK rock music festivals.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Introduction This chapter will review current literature surrounding the topic question of motivations surrounding UK rock festival attendance.

Oliver (2012:2) states that,

All apparently new knowledge is based at least partly, upon previous knowledge. In any subject area, the literature review provides that previous knowledge, and gives us an anchor to which to attach our new ideas. The researcher aims to identify the gaps in research surrounding motivations to attend a UK rock music festival. The researcher intends to do this through exploring; how peer groups musical preferences, socialisation, cultural capital and escapism influence attendance at UK rock music festivals.

2.2 Motivation Introduction

Motivation is entrenched within daily life so it is imperative to grasp the concept of basic motivational theories in order to understand what motivates an individual to attend a UK rock music festival. Mitchell in Mullins (2007:471) states that “motivation is the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain specified behaviours.”

Mullins (2007) explains the basic motivational concept firstly as a need which results in a driving force, behaviour or action, to achieve a desired goal which provides fulfilment. This basic concept of motivation is a continuous process whereby the individual will feedback either to a mentor or a guide after the need is fulfilled, and the process will start again. Vroom (1995) however views motivation differently to Mullins (2007), he believed that it was not as simple as being motivated to take action to do something, but it is the decision making process and reasoning behind why we do one thing over another. Vroom (1995) believed that motivation is split into two different definitions and when considering what motivation is, factors such as the duration and the instigation of the potential action are considered beforehand.

2.3 Motivational Theories

Motivation theories are divided into either content theories or process theories. Mullins (2010:260) describes content theories as "emphasis on what motivates the individual" as opposed to process theories which concentrate on "the actual process of motivation".

2.3.1 Content Theories – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Content theories can be broadly described as what motivates an individual, the original content theory behind motivation is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; this begins with the establishment of physiological needs such as food, water and sleep. The next level are safety needs, in terms of music festivals it would include security, first aid and barriers. The love and belonging level in the hierarchy of needs refers to relationships with family and friends and the emotional development attached to these relationships. Maslow (1954) proposes that this level is dependent on the individual’s personal needs as everyone is different. Esteem, also referred to as 'ego needs' is the desire for strength, independence and self-respect. Finally, self-actualisation needs are the development and realisation of an individual's full potential (Maslow, 1954). Mullins (2010) criticises Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as it suggests in order to climb the hierarchy you must establish the lower level of needs, for example at a music festival the safety needs may not be fully competent, yet an individual may create an emotional development from the experience.

2.3.2 Content Theories – Alderfer’s ERG Theory

Alderfer’s (1967) ERG theory is a modernised version of Maslow’s five levels of need as it has been condensed into three needs that an individual should establish in order to be motivated. As explained by Mullins (2007) this theory is based on the main needs of existence, relatedness and growth. Firstly existence needs are concerned with sustaining human existence and survival and cover physiological and safety needs of a material nature. The second point is the relatedness needs that are concerned with relationships to the social environment and cover love and belonging and the meaningfulness of interpersonal relationships (Alderfer, 1967). The third point made by Alderfer (1967) is the need for an individual to grow and develop their potential – these points cover Maslow’s self-esteem and self-actualisation points. Like Maslow (1954) Alderfer (1967) suggests that an individual will progress through the hierarchy as the lower level needs are established, however he also suggests that the needs are continual rather than hierarchal like Maslow’s theory. Alderfer (1967) also suggests that the lower level needs do not have to be completely satisfied in order to progress; as a higher level need emerges it can act as a motivator (Mullins, 2007). 2.3.3 Content Theories – Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

Herzberg (1968) believed that Maslow's theory was outdated and he adapted this to his Two Factor theory that consists of hygiene needs and motivating factors. The hygiene factors if absent can cause dissatisfaction, they can be related to sanitary requirements within UK rock music festivals. The second factors are motivators, they are there to motivate the individual to attend a UK rock music festival, this will only occur if they are present and the strength of these factors will affect the feelings of satisfaction (Herzberg, 1968). The hygiene factors can be related to Maslow’s lower level needs and the motivators to Maslow’s higher level of needs. In order to motivate customers to attend there must be a level of attention to the motivator or growth factors. Herzberg’s (1968) theory indicates that overall good performance within these factors leads to motivation and overall satisfaction. Herzberg’s (1968) theory is often challenged as it is claimed that the theory does not apply over a very broad or simplistic spectrum.

2.3.4 Process Theories – Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

Process theories are more concerned with what motivates an individual. Van de Wagen (2007) criticises the content theories for their lack of consideration of individual differences, process theories considers that different factors may motivate different people. Vroom's (1973) Expectancy Theory - Mullins (2010:270) explains this as an "individual's motivation depending on what is expected as a result"; this is completely dependent on the person. This is a widely accepted theory with very little criticism that is still applied today. The principles of the theory is that the expectancy – what is perceived to be the outcome of the situation then leads to the amount of motivational force – what is the expected outcome of an individual attending a UK rock music festival. This then leads to a number of outcomes, related to individuals attending a UK rock music festival this could be socialisation and escapism. Steers and Porter (1991) criticise the validity of Vroom’s Expectancy theory due to major flaws in his studies, this therefore could decrease the validity of the theory if future research is carried out. Many authors have based their theories on the principles of Vroom’s Expectancy theory, however Vroom based his theory on the likelihood of an outcome, Cole and Kelly (2015) furthered this to believe that expectancy is more about what an individual’s perception is of the potential outcome. The researcher believes that the Expectancy Theory can easily be applied to the topic question to explore what motivates individuals to attend UK rock music festivals as many individuals looking to attend a UK rock music festival base their decision on whether to go on what they expect will happen and what they will gain from it. This is how festival organisers market and promote festivals, by creating an expectancy.

2.4 Motivation to Attend Events

As explained by Getz (2007:18) events are a “temporal phenomena, and with planned events the event programme or schedule is generally planned in detailed and well publicised in advance.”

As UK rock music festivals fall under the umbrella of events, therefore the researcher will look at the literature surrounding the motivation to attend events which also can apply to UK rock music festivals. The word festival derives from feast and suggests a time of celebration, Getz (1997) implies that festivals act as attractions and catalysts for further development in regards to them being held in specific areas and communities.

There are many different ways to describe rock music and no one way can define it solely, for the purpose of the study the researcher has used the common definition from the Oxford Dictionary (online),

A form of popular music that evolved from rock and roll pop music during the mid and late 1960s. Harsher and often self-consciously more serious than its predecessors, it was initially characterised by musical experimentation and drug-related or anti-establishment lyrics.

Rock music has since progressed from being solely characterised by drug-related or anti- establishment lyrics, however it is widely recognised as ‘heavier’ music with sub-categories such as pop-rock, metal and deathcore which origins within the blues genre (Kennedy, 2013).

Music festivals involve an experience that is unique to the festival sector, however as it is explained in Berridge (2007) experiences are interpreted differently by each individual, therefore this will need to be taken into consideration when the researcher is conducting their primary research. Shone and Parry (2010) emphasise events as experiences and therefore the importance of different aspects of events such as the ambience and service that is created at a music festival. Clawson (1963) suggested that there are five broad stages of the experience that can be related to a music festival; anticipation, travel to site, on-site activity, return travel and recollection - these are all subjective to the individual and there are many influencing factors that the researcher will explore further into.

Getz (1997) adapted Maslow's theory to apply to events. Getz (1997) identified that individuals have three types of needs; physical needs, social needs and personal needs. Getz (1997) explains that each individual will be motivated by different things and therefore have different needs. Getz (1997) explains that special events are attended by an individual to satisfy their need(s) therefore there will be at least one aspect of the three types of needs that will motivate and individual to

15 attend a music festival. Hall (1997) model supports this as it suggests that throughout large-scale festivals, such as Glastonbury festival there are multiple activities taking place at the same time - these are aimed to appeal to different individuals and can therefore act as different motivators.

Klein (1998) furthermore demonstrates that each individual has different motivations, some are rational and some are irrational approaches. Klein (1998) explains that sometimes customers will not be given all of the information needed to motivate them, for example Glastonbury Festival sold out in two and half hours in 2014, eight months before the festival and prior to any line-up being announced (Mintel, 2014). This shows that despite the lack of information regarding the line-up at Glastonbury Festival to motivate individuals to attend it still sold out regardless.

There are many reasons why it is important to establish what motivates an individual to attend a UK rock music festival, each stakeholder involved within a festival has an invested interest. Getz (2012) highlights that a great deal has been written about basic human needs in terms of motivation, however on the specific subject of festivals and events there is not much material and therefore even less on UK rock music festivals.

2.5 Demographics

It was originally believed that there would be a correlation between an individual’s motive to attend a festival and their demographics, however Ralston and Crompton (1988) found no direct correlation between the demographics of individuals and why people go. Backman et al (1995) tested this further and found some direct correlations between demographics and why people go to festivals. The results showed that excitement is less likely in senior and married couples and that the lowest income group are more likely to attend to socialise. This implies that participants are heterogeneous and require segmentation (Backman et al, 1995).

2.6 Push Factors

As more research is conducted it has been identified that there is never just one motivating factor and these should be identified and reassessed after every festival. Iso-Ahola (1980) explains the importance of the enhancement and maintenance of visitor’s intrinsic motivations and that it should be the primary goal of festival managers.

The causes of event motivation are originally classified into push and pull factors by Dann (1977). The push factors originate from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and are often referred to as intrinsic motivators (Prayag and Ryan, 2010). The push factors in relation to a UK rock music festival are what makes an individual seek out an event experience.

Kim et al (2003) describes four push factors that play a part when an individual is motivated to attend a music festival. The first being family togetherness, this is not specifically related family, it is about the family feel you get from being around like-minded people. The second push factor explained by Kim et al (2003) is appreciating natural resources, although this applies more to motivations within the tourism industry this still can apply to individuals attending a UK rock music festival, for example this would relate to the event environment such as the choice of site and visual aesthetics of a festival. Glastonbury Festival is viewed as a green festival therefore appreciating natural resources may be a motivating factor for potential attendees. Kim et al (2003) identified the last two push factors as escaping from everyday routine and building friendships. These can be categorised as the need to socialise which the researcher will go into more depth in the next paragraph.

The push factor that is escapism is the most common intrinsic motivator that many researchers and authors agree on. Fridgin (1991) explains escapism as an optimal arousal, and that a person will seek out a level of stimulation that is most suited to that individual. Fridgin (1991) explains that if a person’s life is too quiet then they will seek out a level of stimulation through an activity such as a UK rock music festival, however if their life is too busy then they will seek to cut off that stimulation and find a quieter environment. Both levels of stimulation can apply to an individual wanting to attend a UK rock music festival, this is dependent on whether the individual perceives a festival as escaping for a busier environment, or escaping to get away from their busier lifestyle. Iso-Ahola (1982) sub-divided escapism motivators into personal and interpersonal dimensions, so an individual may want to escape their personal world such as any personal troubles or failures or to escape their interpersonal world, such as co-workers and their family. From these seeking motivations an individual will look for either a personal reward such as relaxation or an interpersonal reward like social-interaction (Iso-Ahola, 1982).

Guha (2009) identifies eight push factors; supporting escapism as a motivational factor, evaluation of self, relaxation, regression, relationship building, social interaction, novelty and education. Shone and Parry’s (2010) theory supports that motivation comes from wanting social interaction, this sort of social interaction is almost unparalleled within festival communities. Li and Petrick (2006) suggest that individuals want to be able to demonstrate their pride within their community. Community can be interpreted here as either a local community or music festival community and the need to socialise with like-minded individuals.

Tjora (2009) explains the socialisation aspects of UK rock music festival specifically as communities with overlapping social ties that can be formed almost immediately upon arrival of a festival. However Bauman (2001) highlights a conflict between escapism and social motivating

17 aspects as he does not believe that an individual has a desire for individual freedom and yet seeks the security in festival communities.

The educational motivating factors are related closely to cultural capital. As explained by Thornton (1995) cultural capital is about the persuasion of cultural status that is built up through activities such as attending events, knowledge of a particular genre of music and that associated fashion. Although Thornton talks specifically about club culture the same can apply to the culture within UK rock music festivals as they are held in specific places, based on a shared similar taste in music and the consumption of common media and preferences in people (Thornton, 1995). Taking part in these activities strengthens the affinities as well as socialises individuals into a knowledge of likes and dislikes whilst creating their own hierarchies of what is authentic in popular culture so that they create an agreed “understanding of which can make one hip” (Thornton 1995:3). Cultural capital is about gaining new experiences and knowledge within the rock music culture as it is regarded to have a hierarchical status associated with it, therefore individuals are motivated to attend a UK rock music festival based on the status they will gain from it.

Bowen and Daniels (2005) conducted research on whether the music really matters when an individual chooses to attend a music festival. It was concluded the following names based on patterns of motivation; ‘just being social’, ‘enrichment over music’, ‘music matters’ and ‘love it all’. They also highlighted the constraints within the research that this may not be the case with every genre of music festival and this is something the researcher wanted to draw comparison on. Dowd et al (2004) explains the pilgrim like nature of festivals and highlights that they exist as part of the rock scene. Dowd et al (2004) suggests that the music is significant within the rock scene and the festivals serve as catalyst that affect trajectories of the scenes and their associated cultural elements.

2.7 Pull Factors

The pull factors, often referred to as extrinsic motivators involve motivating factors that are related to the physical facilities at a UK rock music festival, this can include the line-up and music available at a festival. Gnoth (1997) suggests that push factors were identified in the 1970’s and many factors have remained the same therefore there is more research surrounding motivating factors that are regarded as push factors. However pull factors differ and change all the time therefore there is a pressure of festival organisers to introduce new things.

Guha (2009) explains the pull factors as when, where and how, it is what attracts the individual to a UK rock music festival. The pull factors have to meet the expectations of the push factors, this links back to Vroom’s Expectancy theory.

Getz (2007:11) states that “expectation is to be entertained” meaning that the pull factors are there to reinforce the push factors. The pull factors at a UK rock music festival can be described as secondary activities such as the arts and crafts at Glastonbury Festival and the comedy tents at Reading and Leeds Festival.

Copland (1959) citied in Kennedy (2013:9) describes the importance of music,

All of us… can understand and feel the joy of being carried forward by the flow of music. Our love of music is bound up with its forward motion…. Musical flow is largely the result of musical rhythm, and the rhythmic factor in music is certainly a key element that has simultaneous attraction on more than one level.

Through Tjora’s (2016) analysis of the various phases of a rock music festival, it was concluded that there is a predictable festival community at specifically rock music festivals that can create an attractiveness to the festival, however in particular with the rock music genre a perceived good line-up has to be there to initially attract an individual. Chan and Polegatto (2010) argue that the strongest external motivator is any advice that may be given by a family member or a friend that the individual perceives as trustworthy. This can be linked to peer groups and their influence to motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival, an individual wants to be equal to their peers, therefore they will conform and do the same things as them. This also supports the effects of cultural capital on an individual, as explained by Thornton (1995) going to such an event can measure an individual’s cultural worth, within the rock industry what is termed ‘mainstream’ music is often criticised for being derivative and superficial (Huyssen, 1986). Therefore during the decision process of an individual deciding to go to one festival over another, research suggests that if a peer shares those views then this can influence their decision.

2.8 Conclusion

Music Festivals are highly important to the UK industry as they boost the economy by at least £864 million a year as well as provide 19,700 full-time jobs (Mintel, 2013), this highlights the importance of establishing what motivates an individual to attend a UK rock music festival. Although the overall lack of findings regarding motivations to attend music festivals; collective studies include Crompton (1979), Mohr et al (1993) and Uysal, Gahan and Martin (1993) suggest that six domains should be

19 incorporated. Cultural exploration, novelty/regression, recover equilibrium (relaxation), known group socialisation, external interaction and family togetherness.

It is important to note that the findings show that the prestige factor is relevant in regards to tourism motivation, however not in the context of music festivals. In Mohr et al (1993) study there was an absence of family togetherness, yet it was still put forward as one of the important domains. This highlights the complexity of motivations to attend different events, this can be dependent on the event itself. Specifically within UK rock music festivals the factors may not apply as much or at all. To conclude the researcher has looked at the current literature surrounding the topic question with the aim to add to the research, by applying the previous research to a specific genre and seeing if the new research varies.

Chapter 3: Methodology

3.0 Methodology

3.1 Introduction

This chapter will look at the proposed methods of research discussed, what methods of research were chosen and the reasoning behind why they were most suitable for the primary research in order to meet the aims and objectives of the topic question. This chapter will also look at any ethical issues associated with the research and the resulting limitations.

In order for the researcher to meet the aims and objectives the research must be conducted through application of methodology.

Dawson (2009:14) states that research methodology,

This is the philosophy or the general principle which will guide your research. It is the overall approach to studying your topic and includes issues you need to think about such as the constraints, dilemmas and ethical choices within your research.

Khan (2011) defines research into two main categories; the first being pure knowledge whereby research is conducting without putting the findings into practice or essentially using the results. The second categorisation is applied research, meaning that the research is used in practice, for example the researcher’s results of the primary research may be used for festival organisers to identify what motivates and individual to attend a UK rock music festival. The results could be put into practice through advertisement or secondary activities for example. Research is also divided into primary and secondary research. The researcher has conducted secondary research through the literature review by looking at the secondary research that has previously been undertaken surrounding the topic area. The secondary research has then been applied throughout the primary research methods.

3.2 Choosing a Type of Research

Dawson (2009) explains the importance of taking the time to consider several factors of conducting research; firstly to understand what the research is, why you want to do the research, what do you want to do with the research, who are the research participants, where will the research be conducted and when is the research going to take place. Dawson (2009) suggests summing the research project in one sentence which has been done through the title of the research – ‘An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival’. The

22 aims and objectives then provide a more in depth look at what the research aimed to look at specifically.

3.3 Quantitative Research

Martin and Bridgmon (2012) explain that quantitative research entails the relationships between variables after they have been operationalised which allows for the research to measure the outcomes of the study conducted. Quantitative research involves statistical methods that are used to assess the variables such as variability, central tendency and characteristics of normal distribution. There is a need for the researcher to understand the data they are using and working with and to be able to identify not only relationships between variables but issues such as atypical scores and dishonest data. As explained by Dawson (2009) quantitative research has the ability to reach more people, however the researcher is in contact with the participants for a smaller amount of time, therefore you are likely to get less in depth information as a result.

3.4 Qualitative Research

The researcher will begin by differentiating qualitative research from quantitative research - Merriam (2009) describes qualitative research as a term that involves many interpretive techniques which allows the researcher to describe and translate the information collated from naturally occurring social situations. Qualitative researchers are interested in understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences (Merriam, 2009). Qualitative research allows the researcher to spend more time with the participants, it allows for a more natural flow of results and more flexibility although it usually involves fewer participants and it can be a longer process which in turns has to be interpreted by the researcher.

3.5 Combination of Research

Using a combination of research is also known as triangulation, this involves using both qualitative research methods as well as quantitative in order to achieve the best possible research. As explained by Dawson (2009), triangulation counteracts the weaknesses of both types of research methods, therefore the researcher originally decided that using triangulation would increase the validity of the primary research and complement one another. It was originally believed that where the researcher is attempting to find out the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival, a qualitative research method is more suitable as supported by Merriam (2009). It

23 was believed where the research involved an element of demographics of the individuals, this would suit a quantitative approach to research as it requires a methodical and statistical form. Questionnaires were considered as a form of quantitative research as they are an objective and fixed tool for gaining quantitative data; however this method is suitable for gathering data such as correlations between experiences and age (related to the researchers aim and objectives). Questionnaires are a typical tool used for quantitative research as they provide a systematic and structured data collection whereby the analysis of the data can then be less strenuous (Martin and Bridgmon, 2012).

Questionnaires would provide the researcher with a wide distribution especially when the questionnaires are conducted online. If the questionnaire is conducted online this keeps the costs of conducting the research very low. The internet provides questionnaire templates that can be used to ensure an overall clear and improved design - this consequently can improve the response rate of the questionnaire if it is well laid out and visually satisfactory (Martin and Bridgmon, 2012).

A questionnaire ensures that there is no bias involved that can be associated with the interview process; this therefore can balance the research of the two combining research methods. There is no opportunity to lead the participant as the questionnaire will consist of set questions, the results can then be laid out and presented clearly using online sources.

The researcher would need to ensure that the questionnaire is given to a large enough sample group as the validity and reliability of the study will be questioned if this is not substantial enough (Fox, 2014). The participant responses can be affected by the wording of the questionnaire and the sample method that the researcher will be using is non-probability as the researcher would aim the primary research at participants who are planning to attend a UK rock music festival or have done so previously. This is a cheaper and easier method of sampling, however the sample and the results generated from the research cannot be generalised as it would not be recognised as a representation of the population. Fox (2014) explains the risk of a sampling error, attempting to reach a large amount would be unrealistic; however sampling too little would affect the averages and cause the 'confidence level' to be low.

However upon reflection, the demographic side of the research was such a small part it seemed irrelevant to conduct quantitative research purely based on that factor. As explained by Dawson (2009) triangulation can cause the research to lose direction as it runs the risk of not having focus and therefore potentially losing correlation between one another. Using a combination of methods is greatly time consuming as well as more costly (Best, 2014). Therefore identifying that

24 quantitative research methods would not really add any more to the researcher’s qualitative research it was decided against it.

3.6 Qualitative Data Collection

Interviewing is the most common technique of conducting qualitative research and it used for a systematic approach of social situations (Holstein and Gubrium, 1995). The qualitative method chosen by the researcher was to use a semi-structured interview, as suggested by Seale (1999) it allows the researcher to find out information that cannot be seen or heard as it allow the researcher to deviate from questions due to prompts or answers given by the interviewee. Lofland and Lofland (1971) describe interviews as a conversational process with a purpose, therefore the researcher ensured there was a pre-planned framework to guarantee a basis of information wanted to gather, however to also allow for the interview to digress where appropriate.

Qualitative data collection is a form of grounded theory research, Strauss and Corbin (1990) explain that the amount of interviewees are usually not specified as they researcher does not know where the research might go. That is why the researcher had chosen to conduct ten interviews, however if the research gained from the interviews reaches saturation point prior to all ten interviews have been carried out, then the researcher would choose to stop at that point as there is no new data being generated.

3.7 Positives and Negatives of a Semi-structured Interview

The qualitative data generated by the semi-structured interview will allow for more in-depth and rich data regarding individuals motivations to attend a UK rock music festival to be gathered, there is also the possibility of new leads to be identified that can give the researcher information they had not anticipated to gather, yet the researcher will still have control (Merriam, 2009). Byrne (2004) citied in Silverman (2007) explains that interviews allow the researcher to access information that cannot be accessed by a questionnaire, with use of open-ended questions it opens up a new level of complexity.

There are many disadvantages of qualitative research and conducting a semi-structured interview specifically. Firstly as supported by Silverman (2007) although it allows for flexibility, this may consequently cause the interview to go off track; therefore the researcher may not obtain the desired information which then may affect the attainment of the aim and objectives. The information is subject to how the researcher interprets the information gathered; as a result the analysed information could be bias. As explained by Merriam (2009) the researcher/interviewer

25 needs to be aware of their approach towards the interviewee as this can subsequently influence their answers and make them less reactive towards probing.

The interviews all took place face-to-face at a place which was most suitable to the interviewee outside of their homes. The researcher provided each interviewee with all the supporting documentation including; the participation information sheet, participant consent form and a letter of invitation. Prior to each interview in participant was asked to read over the information sheet and consent form and once they were happy with it signed the form to say the researcher had permission to record the interview. Each interview took around twenty minutes with some being slightly shorter and other being slightly longer depending on the digression of the participant.

3.8 Piloting

Piloting was undertaken before the semi-structured interviews were conducted as suggested by Katsirikou and Skiadas (2012) before any method of research is carried a pilot method must take place in order to increase the validity of the study and to get achieve the best possible results. The researcher carried out a pilot interview on a family member, upon reflective of the pilot interview it appeared that some of the questions were not open enough and therefore allowed the interviewee to answer questions with a simple yes or no. As the researcher had chosen semi-structured interviews to gain a more in-depth response the questions were adjusted and prompts were added to allow for that so that the interviewee could explain their reasoning behind a yes or a no.

3.9 Sampling

As the research needs to meet the researchers aim and objectives, the sample needs to be purposive. This did pose a problem from the researcher as the samples who are interviewed must have planned or previously attended a UK rock music festival in order to achieve the best results. Marshall (1996) elucidate the importance of a sample that is representative of the population, the researcher used a sample size of 8-10 people as there is very little to be gained from a large sample however the sample size is not too small.

3.10 Interview Design and Structure

Dawson (2009) explains that with semi-structured interviews the researcher should aim to ask as few questions as possible is this method relies on the interviewee to talk freely within retrospect. The aim is to establish a rapport with the interviewee by carefully probing and tactfully steering the interviewee with topic questions. The researcher created an interview schedule in the form of interview questions. All of the questions that are asked fall under relevant topic questions to meet

26 the aims and objectives of the research. By ensuring that the interview has a schedule and the questions are followed in the same order every time the researcher was able to create a continuity throughout the research (Dawson, 2009). As each topic question was completed the researcher then ticked each the topic off the schedule whilst taking any relevant notes.

3.11 Analytical Process

There are a lot of problems associated with the analytical process of qualitative research as it is open to interpretation and the researcher needs to ensure there is not a bias perspective being taken. As qualitative research is not as factual as quantitative research it is difficult to provide evidence of the findings as substantially, therefore the reliability of it needs to be strengthened by the sample size of 8-10 people.

Firstly as suggested by Noaks and Wincup (2004) citied in Silverman (2007) pp. 129 the process during an interview is to engage in active listening throughout. A digital recorder was used as going back and listening to the voice can makes things clearer - the researcher was however aware by doing this they are missing out the setting as well as how time-consuming this process is (Gibbs and Flick, 2008). This will then be transcribed to enable the researcher to analyse the data, by playing back the digital recorder this also gave an insight into the researcher to expose whether there is any lack of validity due to the researcher as identified by Silverman (2007).

With qualitative data throughout the analysis process the data usually increases rather reducing as the researcher builds on the data. The researcher used an idiographic approach as there is a need to look at each person as an individual to identify and trends within the experiences such as age (Gibbs and Flick, 2008). The analytical process that was used by the researcher is the thematic analysis whereby the researcher identified explicit and implicit ideas throughout the data such as themes to the research. This required more involvement from the researcher and was time consuming, however it allowed for rich data to be identified.

3.12 Reliability and Validity

To ensure that the research was reliable the researcher only collected the information relevant to the topic aims and objectives. Plonsky et al (2014) explains that studies are valid when issues are addressed in ways that are appropriate given their context and the purpose of the research. There are two types of validity; internal and external validity, these can be affected by either casual inferences (internal) or generalisation to the population (external) (Plonksy et al, 2014). How the interview questions can be asked can persuade the answers of the interviewee in one way or the

27 other which in turn can decrease the validity of the study. The researcher has gained ethical approval before any research has been carried out to address what questions are being asked.

3.13 Ethical Issues

Every researcher must consider research ethics when conducting their primary research. Firstly, prior to the interview process all participants had been given a form to brief them on what is going to happen, this also explained to the interviewee's that any information will remain anonymous and will not be published without their consent. It was also explained to all participants that the interview is voluntary and they have the right to withdraw at any point.

During the interview research process the researcher always made someone aware of who they are meeting, where and what time in the event that something unfortunate happens. All interviewees were asked to meet outside of homes. As well as this, the participants involved in the interview process were encouraged to bring someone with them if they felt more comfortable in that situation, as explained in Gibbs and Flick (2008) qualitative data is often very personal.

Gomez et al (2013) states that as researchers you have an ethical commitment this is why the researcher carried out the necessary precautions whilst they were trialled during the ethics committee. The research was not conducted until they had ethics approval. There was some concerns raised that topic questions may exploit sensitive subjects such as drug taking at festivals therefore the researcher talked through the topic questions with each interviewee beforehand to avoid this situation. It was ensured that each individual was aware of what they were participating in, what it involved, that it was being recorded and at any point if they did not feel comfortable they could withdraw, this followed the code of ethic explained by Dawson (2009).

3.14 Constraints

After the results and analysis had been presented by the researcher they believe that having used a questionnaire as another form primary research collection could have potentially added to the research. It was apparent that the research conducted presented common themes quite quickly. Although this could be a reflection on the motivations of individuals attending a UK rock music festival there could have potentially been different results if it reached a wider audience. Few of the participants the researcher knew through friends of friends, this could have potentially reflected the same themes that arisen from the research. Therefore next time the researcher would use a wider sample of individuals.

Chapter 4: Results, Analysis and Discussion

4.0 Results, Analysis and Discussion

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter the researcher will analyse and discuss the primary data collected from the interviews whilst relating and linking back to chapter two, the literature review where relevant to the secondary research collected. The researcher had aimed to complete a maximum of ten interviews, however only nine were conducted due to the same patterns arising from the interviews. The researcher did not think it would benefit the research to conduct any further interviews. The results will be presented using a thematic analysis, therefore the researcher has identified common themes and has used those as headings, followed by a discussion of each theme. In order to comply with ethics and to appreciate the confidentiality of each interviewee each participant has been given a pseudonym, meaning that all names within the primary research are not the real names of the participants. For a more in-depth view of the interviews they can be found in the appendices as each one has been transcribed for the purpose of the study.

4.2 Background Questions

The researcher would like to highlight that each participant was asked background questions at the beginning of the interview process to establish a little more about each individual. Each interviewee was asked their age and occupation, these factors will be drawn on throughout the analysis and discussion, not as standalone questions but whether there are any correlation between certain themes and the background questions. Each individual was also asked whether they had previously attended or had planned to attend a UK rock music festival. This was to ensure that they do in fact fit the purposive sample group and to gain an insight into how many festivals they have been to.

4.3 Escapism

The participants were asked questions related to escapism as a motivating factor to attend a UK rock music festival. The participants were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival. The researcher decided to use a scale to determine how much it influences an individual as the interviewees were then able to identify using the scoring system how much each individual factors influenced them personally. They were then each asked to elaborate on their answer as to why they thought this.

The first factor was to get away from daily life. This question scored an average of 4.22 as being a strong motivator for the interviewees wanting to attend a UK rock music festival. This was one of the most definitive answers throughout the primary research with five of the nine interviewees scoring it 5/5 as a motivating factor. Interestingly the majority of answers referred to their work when answering this question.

Tom: ‘I want to do something different, work can be repetitive as can doing the same things over and over again in the summer, like going to the pub.’ Ella: ‘Working full time is a little daunting when you think about how you have so many more years to do that for. Festivals are like their own little world that you can forget about everything else for a short while.’ Stephen: ‘Working all the time is miserable, you need to allow yourself something to look forward to and that is out of your daily life else things can get tough.’

These statements supports Fridgin’s (1991) theory that if a person’s life is too quiet then they will seek out a level of stimulation, in this case the stimulation is going to a UK rock music festival. A person’s life mainly revolves around their work life and they certainly spend the most of their time at work throughout the week. Where Iso-Ahola (1982) sub-divided the escapism motivators into personal and inter-personal dimensions, it is highlighted when an individual wants to escape their personal world such as personal troubles or failures these could be related to an individual’s work. The responses gathered referred to work as ‘miserable’ and ‘daunting’ suggesting that these are almost failings of theirs. Iso-Ahola (1682) also referred to escapism motivators as being interpersonal, meaning that an individual seeks to get away from co-workers and family etc. Once again referring to escapism as getting away from work life which is also highlighted by Hannah as a festival is ‘doing something over the summer that isn’t going to work’.

The one participant – Rose, only scoring ‘getting away from daily life’ a 2/5 as a motivating factor to attend a UK rock music festival stated that ‘daily life isn’t so bad’, highlighting her more positive attitude about daily life than the other eight participants resulting in her lower score. Overall the results of the question support the majority of previous studies surrounding event attendee motivation, the same can be said about UK rock music festivals. Individuals are motivated by the prospect of escaping daily life.

4.4 Socialisation

The second theme that the researcher identified is the motivating factor socialisation. The participants were once again asked on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) how much their friends going motivated them to go to a UK rock music festival.

They were each then asked to explain their answer and their reasoning behind each of the scores that they gave.

This question split the interviewees slightly more so than the escapism factor. It scored an average of 3.88 out of the nine interviews, although it is still a considerably high score as a motivating factor. Interestingly three out of the nine interviewees actually stated that they would not go to a UK rock music festival at all unless their friends were;

Hannah: ‘I would not go without my friends, I am easily swayed. I think the moment a friend asks me to go then I will be up for any rock festival.’ Georgina: ‘This is very important to me, I want to be able to social with my friends. I would never go by myself and they are usually the ones to persuade me to go in the first place anyway.’ Ella: ‘I won’t go by myself so I suppose it is a big factor. I think no matter what the festival I can have a good time if my friends are going.’

These particular statements support Uysal et al (1993) who suggest that known group socialisation is one of their six main motivating factors. The researcher believes that it is important to highlight that Uysal et al (1993) were one of the few authors to refer to socialisation as ‘known group’, whereas other researchers suggesting socialisation is a motivating factor do not specify whether this essentially includes friends or individuals they will meet there. The answers to the researchers question suggests that the socialisation factor is more motivating when the socialising factors involves known friends. One interviewee, Tom even went as far as saying he doesn’t ‘attend rock music festivals to make new friends’. However Tom had yet to actually attend a UK rock music festival as of yet but had planned to, once he had experienced one there is potential for him to change his mind as he is the only individual to state specifically that he would not engage in social interaction outside of his friendship group.

Although fewer scored wanting to go because of friends low, the two individuals that did score it lower appear to show different traits to the remaining interviewees. Stephen who is the oldest of all interviewees and has attended the most rock music festivals, describes his personality as being confident enough to know that he will meet new people when he is there, he states that ‘you are with people who enjoy the same festival, which is at least one thing you will have in common with them’. This highlights Tjora’s (2009) statement that at rock music festivals there are communities with overlapping social ties that can be formed almost immediately upon arrival of a festival. Interestingly Stephen did also say that he usually bumps into someone he knows wherever he goes, that could be seen as having the security of known group socialisation.

The other participant that disagreed with the statement and scored it only a two appears to volunteer at rock music festivals in exchange for a ticket. Rose explains that ‘when you volunteer you always make new friends’, however she would not go by herself if she had bought a ticket. Therefore the researcher can only assume that the motivation to attend a UK rock music festival are different when an individual has bought a ticket, compared to when they are volunteering in exchange for a ticket. Overall the consensus is that going to rock music festivals because friends are going is highly motivating for the majority of individuals.

4.5 Festival Experience

The researcher identified the theme festival experience for several reasons, the ‘atmosphere’ within a UK rock music festival was frequently referred to as contributing towards the festival experience throughout the interviews and the interviewees also talked about their desire to experience something different. Through various questions that were asked of the individuals the researcher deemed the festival experience theme title suited.

The interviewees were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 (on the same scale as the previous questions) how much wanting to experience something different motivated them to attend at UK rock music festival. Once again this was highly rated with scoring an average of 4.2, there was a consistent level of agreement across the interviewees regarding this question. Many of the individuals described the festival experience as being different from daily life;

Anna: ‘Festivals are places where you get to have different experiences because they are so unlike day to day life.’

Georgina: ‘I think rock music festivals are very different and I would like to experience that again. There is nothing like festivals in general, they are different to any other event.’

Rose: ‘There isn’t anything like festivals, the experience is one of a kind.’

The majority of the interviewees referred to the festival experience as being something that they could not compare to anything else. Shone and Parry (2010) highlighted that events are experiences whilst Berridge (2007) also viewed them as experiences he suggested that these experiences are interpreted differently by each individual. The research shows that what appeared to be important for the individuals is that the experience needed to be different from daily life to motivate them to want to attend. The responses were closely linked to their responses when asked on the same 1-5 scale how much wanting to discover something new motivated them. The festival experience all seems to have a significant effect on the interviewees and several of the interviewees talk about the rock music festivals giving them a new lease of life as shown below.

Ella: ‘I love that feeling you get from going to festivals, it always seems to give me a new lease of life and almost motivates me to achieve the things I have always wanted to do. It is like I crave new things after going to a festival.’ Georgina: ‘Going to music festivals kind of makes me feel like a teenager again, like I remember what it’s like before I had all my responsibilities as an adult.’

Mark: ‘I do think rock festivals kind of give you a new lease of life for a week where everyone feels like a new person by the end of the festival, that’s until the sleep deprivation kicks in and everyone crashes.’

These statements link back to Gahan and Martin’s (1993) six domains that suggest novelty and regression are a motivating factor and should be incorporated, these factors were originally based on studies within the tourism industry but can be shown to have similarities within the events industry. In particular the regression factor, the interviewees refer to rock music festivals as making them feel young again. The overall festival experience allows them to act and feel like they did when they were in their teens and that appears to motivate them.

The atmosphere at a UK rock music festival has be incorporated into the festival experience theme due to its significance within the study. When the individuals were ask on a scale of 1-5 how much does the atmosphere at UK rock music festival motivate them to want to attend it scored an average of 4.3 which is the highest average seen throughout the questions so far. Constantly throughout the interviews the atmosphere was described as ‘special’, ‘insane’ and ‘indescribable’ highlighting that it is a huge part of the festival experience and motivating individuals to want to attend. The festival atmosphere was spoken about throughout the interviews and not just within that specific questions, several of the individuals referred to the festival atmosphere as contributing to their overall main reason for going. Interestingly the one interviewee, Tom who had yet to attend a UK rock music festival but has planned to said ‘I haven’t been to a festival yet so I can’t really say whether it influences me but I have heard from everyone who has been and live videos on YouTube how immense the atmosphere seems to be.’ He scored the atmosphere a 4 out of 5 for motivating him to want to attend as there is an expectancy there. This highlights that Vroom’s (1973) Expectancy Theory can be applied within the events industry and UK rock music festivals, an individual’s motivation is dependent on what is expected as a result.

Overall the festival experience can incorporate many factors that motivate an individual to attend a rock music festival and each individual will have their own experience but collectively with an expectancy of what that experience will be it highly motivates individuals to want to go.

4.6 Cultural Capital

The individuals were asked questions throughout the interviews that referred to cultural capital, the researcher was aware that many of the interviewees may not be aware of what the term cultural capital is therefore they were asked if they feel like they are gaining something from attending UK rock music festivals and whether it feels like a required thing to do within the rock music community and their friendship groups. The participants were not asked to score this question on a scale of 1-5 but to just freely discuss the question. There was generally less of an agreement between the interviewees with this question which is what the researcher had anticipated. What became apparent is that although many of the interviewees said that they did not feel any pressure to attend a rock music festival they did refer to it as a ‘cool’ thing to do. This shows that although they stated they did not feel any pressure they almost contradicted themselves at the same time by stating it is the ‘cool’ thing to do and may suggest that they do feel a degree of pressure. A pattern emerged that cultural capital was motivating individuals to attend rock music festivals far more than perhaps they had realised.

Mark: ‘I like to add a new band to list of who I have seen, you know you talk about it with your friends, who was good live and how many times you have seen them.’ Georgina: ‘I feel as though I gain an experience to remember, culture and the opportunity to make friends. You do always hear people who listen to rock music talk about who they have seen and where and what festival they have been to. It’s quite competitive but I don’t have the money or time to contend with that.’ Ella: ‘I go out in this metal bar where I am from, it seems that everyone has to go to download. That weekend it is on, no one is out because they are all at the festival. There is a certain pride with listening to rock and metal music and almost a competitive thing about it. Like if you listen to a certain band that aren’t regarded as cool you are judged for it. It seems to be more present within the rock community.’ It is interesting to see that the interviewees addressed the topic question but almost did not willingly say they felt it was a required thing to do but suggested it throughout their answers. There appears that there could be stigmatisms behind doing what you think is cool, Anna states that ‘festivals seem to be the cool thing to do more and more so, as horrible as it sounds to say that out loud.’ It shows that potentially yes there is a degree of pressure but individuals may not like to admit it. This supports Thornton’s (1995) view that taking part in activities such as rock music festivals socialises individuals into a knowledge of likes and dislikes whilst creating their own hierarchies of what is authentic so that they can create an agreed understanding of which can make one cool. The results show that the individuals are gaining new experiences and knowledge can increases their status within the rock community and their friends. It allows for individual growth that Alderfer (1967) suggests is essential to develop their potential and motivates an individual.

It was however clear that some of the participants strongly disagreed with the statement, Tom stated ‘I have a lot of knowledge on the music and I would pride myself in that, I don’t think I need to go to a music festival to gain anything more.’ It explained he does not feel the pressure at all, and in fact at 28 years old has yet to attend UK rock music festival, although has planned to. Throughout Tom’s interviewee he refers to himself as being less social, this could have a correlation between why he does not feel it is a required thing.

Overall the researcher believes that there is a lack of research particularly regarding the effects of cultural capital on motivation to attend rock music festivals. It appears that there it is a highly motivating factor in which the participants may not be completely aware of. This seems to be significantly present within the rock music community as suggest by several of the interviewees who believe that there is more competiveness within the rock community.

4.7 Peer Pressure

The reoccurring theme peer pressure was very easily distinguishable throughout the interviews. Although the interviewees were not asked direct questions about whether they felt pressure off their friends to attend a UK rock music festival, nearly all of the individuals mentioned or hinted about it one way or another throughout their interviews.

Tom: ‘One of the main reasons why I am going is because my friends have persuaded me to go, I am not the most social person outside of my friendship group but Download Festival has a lot of music I love so I thought I would give it a go.’ Ella: ‘My friends have raved about Download Festival so many times it has made me want to go.’ Georgina: ‘…they are usually the ones to persuade me to go in the first place anyway.’ Mark: ‘As long as a few of us are going I don’t need much persuasion.’

These statements show some of the more direct ways the interviewees were persuaded by their friends to attend a UK rock music festival highlighting there is a clear connection that this motivates them. This can relate to Maslow’s (1954) love and belonging level in the hierarchy of needs that refers to relationships with family and friends and the emotional development attached to these relationships. Maslow (1954) stated that this level is dependent on the individual’s personal needs as each individual is different, this shows that others may value those relationships more than others and therefore have a different extent of motivation. Stephen interestingly highlighted that he would go to festivals regardless of whether his friends were going, however he said ‘maybe my friends went because I did’. Although he was not motivated by peer pressure, Stephen recognised

36 that others were, the persuasion that comes from friends has to start somewhere, and he is that person and other follow lead.

Other statements were less obvious when highlighting peer pressure as a motivator, Ella stated that ‘you would not find me going to Creamfields or something, I think my friends would laugh at me.’ Creamfields is another UK festival, however it showcases electronic dance music as opposed to rock music. This indirectly highlights that Ella to a degree feels pressured to go to one festival over another due to what her friends would think. This supports Chan and Polegatto (2010) argument that the strongest motivator is any advice that may be given by a family member of a friend that the individuals perceives as trustworthy. Ella’s statement in particular approves Thornton’s (1995) view that going to an event such as a rock festival can measure a person’s cultural worth. Within the rock industry what is termed as ‘mainstream’ music is criticised for being derivative and superficial, therefore when an individual is deciding to go to one festival over another if a peer shares those views then this can influence their decision which appears to be the situation with Ella and her peers.

Overall the researcher believes that peer pressure is a clear motivator for why individuals want to attend UK rock music festivals, peers can persuade a person to attend a festival in the first place or they can be that peer to persuade everyone else.

4.8 Secondary Factors

Throughout the interviews the individuals were asked several questions relating to the ‘pull’ factors to see whether they had any influence on the individual’s motivation to attend UK rock music festivals. The pull factors are referred to as extrinsic motivators, they are explained by Guha (2009) as when, and where and how, it is what attracts a person to a UK rock music festival. Therefore throughout the interviews the individuals were asked how much the price of a ticket influenced them, how far they were willing to travel and whether festivals incorporating secondary activities motivated them.

The overall consensus surrounding these questions was, not very much. When asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) it scored a low average of 1.77 out of 5 which much of the responses being like Hannah’s ‘it does not bother me at all’. The price of a ticket was generally justified by what they were getting for it and was often compared to still being cheaper than going on a holiday, although it was noted that festivals are on the increase. The location of a festival split the interviewees slightly more, many of them had no problem travelling to a festival as long as it was accessible especially via public transport. Anna stated that ‘travel in the UK isn't cheap. Especially when I was coming from Wales it was quite hard and costly

37 to get to a lot of festivals so it didn't make sense to spend an extra £100 to £200 travelling on top of the ticket price’. This shows that the expenses can add up and although it is not a definitive motivator all of the secondary factors can add up to either motivate them to attend or not to attend. This supports Guha’s (2009) theory that the pull factors have to meet the expectations of the push factors and Getz (2007:11) statement that “expectation is to be entertained” meaning that the pull factors are there to reinforce the push factors.

Overall it appears that the secondary factors do not really act as primary motivators although it is important for festival organisers to recognise that they can contribute collaboratively with other motivators to create an overall expectation.

4.9 Musical Preferences

The final theme that arose from the primary data collection is musical preferences. The interviewees were asked several questions relating whether this motivated them, this was also the most talked about motivator throughout every interview, not only highlighted in the specific questions but the majority of the interviews repeatedly referred back to the music at a UK rock music festivals throughout their interview. When asked on a scale of 1-5 (1 being extremely disagree and 5 being extremely agree) how much does the overall music at a festival motivate you to attend it scored an average of 4.66, this being the highest scoring question throughout all the interviews. This was the one question that all of the participant’s agreed on with many of them making comparisons with other music genres.

Ella: ‘Definitely the overall music, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to listen to mainstream music all day, I like rock music and that is why I want to go. There are not a huge amount of UK rock music festivals.’ Anna: ‘I am all about the music and the music genre at rock music festivals.’ Stephen: ‘I think the overall music is more important. You would not find me going to a pop music festival because I don’t like that music. I think I would have looked out of place even at 20 years old.’ The interviewees were asked a similar questions as to whether to headline acts motivated them, on the same 1-5 scale it scored an average of 3.66, although considered to motivate many of the interviewees many of the answers were similar to Rose’s who stated that the overall music ‘is one of the most important factors for me, as long as there is rock music I love then I am happy, I don’t always even watch the headliners.’ Contrary to Hannah’s statement who said ‘I would not go unless I liked the headline acts’. Although the interviewees agreed less on whether the headline

38 acts motivated them there is a general agreement that it is the music that makes them want to attend.

The general agreement from the interviewees supports Tjora’s (2016) analysis of the various phases of a rock music festival which concluded that there is a predictable festival community and experience at rock music festivals that can create an attractiveness to the festival, Tjora (2016) also highlighted that in particular with the rock music genre a perceived good line-up has to be there to initially attracts individuals to want to attend. When the interviewees were asked what their overall reasons were to wanting to attend a UK rock music festival, the majority of the interviewees answered quite passionately about their love for rock music and it being the main reason for them wanting to go.

Ella: ‘It is the music really. I think people who listen to rock music are really passionate about their music and then to be surrounding by like-minded people who all share that passion for rock music just creates an amazing atmosphere.’ Stephen: ‘I am musical and I have a lot of friends who are musical, rock music was a huge part of our lives growing up and it still is now. I think it is this shared love for rock music and nothing beats listening to a band playing live, that is how you distinguish the good bands from the bad… how they sound live. Being at a festival is a bonus because the majority of people feel the same way as you do.’ Mark: ‘For the love of the music, gaining that new knowledge and experience it gives you! It is just one of things you have to do in the rock community. There is nothing that beats watching a band live, with rock they sound better live unlike most pop singers.’ Once again the individuals made comparisons on other genres of music, there appears to be a perceived expectation that other music festivals showcasing different genres of music are very different and would not be something they would like simply because they do not like that genre of music. This supported research conducted by Bowen and Daniels (2005) on whether the music really matters when an individual chooses to attend a music festival. They concluded the following names based on patterns of motivation ‘just being social’, ‘enrichment over music’, ‘music matters’ and ‘love it all’. All of the interviewees factor in all of the points made by Bowen and Daniels (2005) as to what motivates them to want to attend a UK rock music festival with all of them agreeing that ‘music matters’. Bowen and Daniels (2005) ensured to highlight that their research may not be relevant with every genre of music and the researcher wanted to highlight that their research suggests that potentially within the rock music community the ‘music matters’ pattern of motivation is more dominant.

The researcher believes that the music is often what can separate the motivations of those individuals wanting to attend a rock music festival to those of other genres. Dowd et al (2004) explains the pilgrim like nature of festivals and highlights that they exist as part of the rock scene.

Dowd et al (2004) suggests that the music is significant within the rock scene and the festivals serve as catalyst that affect trajectories of the scenes and their associated cultural elements.

Before the research was conducted there was a presumption that the music was going to be one of the most important motivators, it is important to recognise that although it evidently one the most important, it is also one of motivators that the interviewees which actually be aware of. Several of the other motivators may not be so recognised by an individual themselves but can be through research such as this. However overall it is clear that the music at a UK rock music festival is one of the most significant motivations.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

5.0 Conclusion

5.1 Introduction

In this chapter the researcher will conclude the study, the findings will be summarised and the researcher will establish whether the aim and objectives were achieved. The implications of the research will be discussed in relevant context to the events industry whilst acknowledging the limitations of the study. The researcher will then make suggestions and recommendations for future research.

5.2 Aim of Research

The aim of the research was to critically explore how peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, cultural capital and escapism influence attendance at UK rock music festivals. Motivation theory is entrenched in everyday life, there is a significant amount of research surrounding motivation in the work place, however research into what motivates individuals to attend UK rock music festival is scarce. It is important to recognise that each individual is motivated by different things and these can differ between events.

5.3 Summary of Key Findings

The following statements summarise the key findings, clearly and concisely:

o Wanting to get away from daily life is a highly motivating factor with an emphasis on wanting to get away from their work life. o If the individual perceives their daily life as more enjoyable, the motivation to attend a UK rock music festival to get away from daily life decreases. o The need for socialisation highly motivates individuals, although there is an emphasis on known group social interaction that motivates individuals. o If the individual is attend a UK rock music festival through volunteering this decreases the known group socialisation as a motivator. o The festival atmosphere is considered extremely ‘special’ and was rated one of the highest motivators. o There is an anticipated atmosphere at a UK rock music festival that creates an expectancy, this considerably motivates individuals. o The festival experience provides a sense of regression meaning that ‘feeling like a teenager again’ motivates individuals to want to attend.

o Although generally the participants aren’t so aware of the effects of cultural capital, all hinted one way or another that it was motivating them to attend. o Many of the individuals suggested that attending UK rock music festivals adds to their status. o It was suggested that there is more competitiveness within the rock music community in relation to cultural capital and what is regarded as ‘cool’. o All individuals referred to their friends at some point throughout their interviews suggesting their peer pressure highly motivates individuals. o It was apparent that one individual was not motivated through peer pressure, however this individual recognised that he may be that individual or pressured his friends. o There was a general agreement that the individuals valued what their friends thought, in particular to what festival they chose to go to. o The price of a festival neither motivates nor demotivates, it was highly agreed upon that the price is justified. o Travelling to a festival did not appear to motivate either, although some stated it has to be worth the travelling. o The headline acts as a motivator split the participants, some stated the overall music was more important whereas some stated that the headline acts can sway them to one festival over another. o The overall music as a motivator was the highest ranking question throughout the festival with a huge emphasis on being the overall main reason for individuals wanted to attend a UK rock music festival.

5.4 Conclusions and Further Research

Overall the research project has achieved its aim and objectives. To critically explore how peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, capital culture and escapism influence attendance at

UK rock music festivals. A summary of the findings have been listed above identifying the most influential factor being the overall music motivating individuals to attend UK rock music festivals. Although this was the overall main reason for the interviewees wanting to attend there were many other contributing factors. The extent to which peer groups motivates individuals was established to be extremely high, although many of the individuals may not have recognised the degree to which peer pressure influences them there was often reference to their peers or how much they valued their peers opinions at some stage throughout the interview, although there was a few anomalies that suggested that some individuals are simply less social and less guided by peers. The influence of peer pressure is generally accepted across all industries what is interesting to see

43 is whether an individual is able to recognise when they are the peer pressuring their friends to some degree.

This linked closely to the findings surrounding the influence of cultural capital on motivation to attend UK rock music festival. It was concluded that there was almost a stigmatism to doing something because it is regarded ‘cool’ or increased their status in one way or another. Once again throughout the interviews the participants made statements that suggested going to a rock music festival gave them somewhat of higher cultural status within the rock music community, that it was something that they can recall upon in social situations as to who has seen who playing live and where. It was suggested that there the rock music community is more competitive and that there is a sense of snobbery when it comes to their cultural status, thus indicating attending rock music festivals, being able to expand on the amount of acts they have seen live increases their cultural status. The researcher believes that cultural capital will vary in every industry mainly due to different influencing factors that can affect ones cultural status. It appears that each festival has a perceived reputation, festival organisers could benefit from identifying if their festival has an attached reputation that they can either try to alter accordingly or build upon.

The extent to which socialisation motivates individuals was generally high, however throughout the interviews it was suggested that it was known-group socialisation that was motivating individuals as suggested by Backman et al (2013). In order for socialisation to motivate an individual to attend this must be the potential to socialise with individuals that they know already. This did not apply to all of the individuals, a few of them viewed a festival as an opportunity to socialise with everyone as a rock music community although there was a slight divide dependent on the age of the individual. The older interviewees did not see themselves socialising with younger individuals at a festival. The researcher believes that it is important for festival organisers to identify individuals varying degrees of socialisation needs, such as incorporated social hub spaces whilst incorporating quieter settings.

Finally the influence of escapism to attend UK rock music festivals was highly rated with almost all individuals referring to their work life and wanting to get away from that repetitiveness. During the festival experience the atmosphere was repeatedly referred to which created an expectancy for even those who had yet to attend a rock music festival. This supported Vroom’s (1995) expectancy theory that the individuals could anticipate what the atmosphere would be like and created that need for escapism. Festival organisers could exploit this aspect more through their promotions and by using media platforms such as YouTube to create that anticipated atmosphere.

5.5 Limitations

Although the researcher met the aim and objectives of the study, however the researcher recognises the limitations of the conducted study. The researcher decided to use only qualitative methods of research in the form of semi-structured interviews, a combination of qualitative and quantitative, in the form of online questionnaires would have accessed a wider audience. Therefore this could have provided a more diverse range of responses. Only nine interviews were conducted overall due to the responses not providing any new information, the researcher was recommended the participants through friends of friends. This could have potentially been the cause of no new information being generated through the interviews. Generally it is believed that the sample size was not big enough, it would have benefited the researcher to gain new insights through use of quantitative research where more responses can be gathered in a less time consuming manner.

5.6 Recommendations

Due to the study being an undergraduate study there was minimal time to conduct a wider scope of research. It is harder to apply the findings due to the small sample size, therefore a much wider and sufficient sample size would need to be utilised to create a more reliable results. Due to the differences that arose in the research between the paying individuals and those who volunteered for a ticket, it would benefit the industry to research motivations of volunteers and motivations of paying attendees and to then draw comparisons. The research into what motivates individuals to rock music festivals could be expanded outside of the UK, especially as there is a more options outside of the UK, especially within Scandinavia. Finally research regarding what motivates individuals to attend music festivals could be divided further into genres of music, this could then be compared to see whether there are differences as suggested throughout the study.

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7.0 Appendices

7.0 Appendices Appendix 1 – Ethics Approval

Appendix 2 – Participant Information Sheet

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET

An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend rock music festivals.

Project summary

The purpose of this research project is to research into the factors that motivate individuals to attend a rock music festival. Your participation will enable the collection of data which will form part of a study being undertaken at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Why have you been asked to participate?

You have been asked to participate because you fit the profile of the population being studied: that you have previously attended a rock music festival.

Project risks:

The research involves the participation in a semi-structured interview which will be recorded for later analysis. We are not seeking to collect any sensitive data on you; this study is only concerned with the factors that motivate an individual to attend rock music festivals. We do not think that there are any significant risks associated with this study. However, if you do feel that any of the questions are inappropriate then you can stop at any time. Furthermore, you can change your mind and withdraw from the study at any time – we will completely respect your decision.

How we protect your privacy:

All the information you provide will be held in confidence. We have taken careful steps to make sure that you cannot be directly identified from the interview; there is no information throughout the interview that will identify you. Your personal details (e.g. signature on the consent form) and your interview will be kept in secure locations by the researcher.

If you require any further information about this project then please contact: Kiera Walters, Cardiff Metropolitan, CMU email: [email protected]

Appendix 3 – Participation Consent Form

PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM

Cardiff Metropolitan University Ethics Reference Number: Participant name or Study ID Number:

Title of Project: An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festival. Name of Researcher: Kiera Walters ______

Participant to complete this section: Please initial each box

1. I confirm that I have read and understand the information sheet for the above study. I have had the opportunity to consider the information, ask questions and have had these answered satisfactorily.

2. I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time, without giving any reason.

3. I agree to take part in the above study.

4. I agree to the interview being audio recorded

5. I agree to the use of anonymised quotes in publications

Signature of Participant Date

______

Name of person taking consent Date

______

Signature of person taking consent

______

Appendix 4 – Participant Invitation Letter

LETTER OF INVITATION

I am writing to invite you to be one of my interviewees as you fit the profile of the population being studied –you have previously attended a UK rock music festival. I am an undergraduate student at Cardiff Metropolitan University and I am in the process of writing my dissertation, the title of my research is ‘an investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music festivals.’ Its aim is to explore the motivations of those who attend music festivals. I will be exploring whether there has been shifting motives for individuals to attend music festivals based on previous research and will focus on how peer groups, musical preferences, socialisation, cultural capital and escapism influence individuals to attend a UK rock music festivals. I will be conducting primary research through detailed interviews of those who have previously attended. The interview will include several topics surrounding your experience of either attending or planning to attend a UK music festival, this should last approximately up to 40 minutes and all data collected will be anonymous. Before any primary data is collected this project will have been approved by Cardiff Metropolitan University and all data collection will be in accordance with the university’s ethics code of practice.

Thank you in anticipation. Yours sincerely Kiera Walters Contact details: [email protected]

Appendix 5 – Semi-structured Interview

Thank you very much for helping us with this project and participating in the research

SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW An investigation into the factors that motivate an individual to attend a UK rock music

Question Topics Completed Notes Background questions:

. Gender?

. Age?

. Occupation?

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think the following are reasons you attend music festivals and give a reasoning why? . To get away from daily life . Curiosity

. Experience something different

. Discover something new

. Because your friends are going

. To be surrounding with people of similar interests

. The atmosphere there

. The headline acts . The overall music . The secondary activities at the festival

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group? What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

Appendix 6 – Interview Transcripts

Interviewee No.1 (Tom) Background Questions

 Gender – male

 Age – 28

 Occupation – full time employment as a warehouse operative

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have planned to go to Download Festival this year, I like the look of the headline acts and I have always wanted to go. It is something to cross off my bucket list. I haven’t actually ever been to a music festival before. I was always off doing other things when my friends were going in their early twenties.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

4 – I want to do something different, work can be repetitive as can doing the same things

over and over again in the summer, like going to the pub.

 Curiosity?

3 – I have never been to one, only seen other people’s Facebook photos.

 Experience something different?

5 – I live in a small village where everyone knows everyone and you do a lot of the same.

 Discover something new?

3 – It isn’t really about something new, especially with Download Festival where it is one

music genre type and a lot of the same people, if I wanted something new I would probably

go to Glastonbury Festival or something. That is meant to be out there.

 Because your friends are going?

5 – It is always nice to do that sort of thing with people you know. Having something familiar

in an unfamiliar place.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

3 – I don’t really care for that sort of aspect of it, I don’t attend rock music festivals to make

new friends. Maybe I am just anti-social.

 The atmosphere there?

4 – I haven’t been to a festival yet so I can’t really say whether it influences me but I have

heard from everyone who has been and live videos on YouTube how immense the

atmosphere seems to be.

 The headline acts?

5 – If they are stand out acts I like then I am far more inclined to attend. I would not be

interested in going if I considered the line up to be bad.

 The overall music?

5 – That is the sort of music I am in to, you find me going to any other festival. I would not

enjoy it and my friends would probably take the mick out of me.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – I am just there for the music and socialising, with my friends, no one else.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

One of the main reasons why I am going is because my friends have persuaded me to go, I am not the most social person outside of my friendship group but Download Festival has a lot of music I love so I thought I would give it a go.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

To be honest I never realised until recently how expensive festival tickets have become. It never really bothered me but it seems they are increasing more and more every year. I have so many other things to consider spending money on there is always something I need to buy instead.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Yes, if it was something like V festival I would hate it. I wouldn’t even consider going if the ticket was free. Download Festival has a good reputation.

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

As long as it is within the UK I would not have a problem going to a festival because I drive. I would think differently if I had to get public transport. Going abroad for a festival would be too much for me, too expensive and too far.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

I have never been to a music festival before so I do not have anything to compare it to.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I don’t really feel that pressure within the rock music community. I have a lot of knowledge on the music and I would pride myself in that, I don’t think I need to go to a music festival to gain anything more. I own the CD’s, the T-shirts and I do a whole lot of You Tubing.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

The type of music that is played, it is as simple as that. I get to see a lot bands I like in a condensed amount of time – it is easy that way.

Interviewee No.2 (Anna)

Background Questions

 Gender – Female

 Age – 22

 Occupation – Full Time Office Manager of a Tech Start Up

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have attended Download and Reading Festival many times, if that counts as rock. I want and will be attending Download, Reading and 2000 Trees festival this year. I have been to all sorts, I also like to try and get to the smaller ones like 2000 Trees. The more the better, the most I have signed up to volunteer to is 10 in one summer.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

5 – Festivals are places where you don't worry about usual daily life because you're not

surrounded by it. You're literally surrounded by music and there's plenty of other things to

focus on and worry about. You're in a whole other space!

 Curiosity?

3 – If I'm curious about a new festival maybe I'll actually go. But I tend to go to festivals

because of the line-up if that is sort of what you mean by curiosity? But there are other more

important factors that I think influence my decision to go to a festival.

 Experience something different?

5 – Festivals are places where you get to have different experiences because they are so

unlike day to day life.

 Discover something new?

5 – The same as the previous question really although it isn’t really new to me anymore, it is

more about experiencing something different from life.

 Because your friends are going?

4 – This definitely influences the festival I will go to. It is a social event!

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

3 – I don’t think is important really, not without me realising it really.

 The atmosphere there?

3 – It isn’t the main reason but it does contribute, festival atmosphere is like no other.

 The headline acts?

3 – I go more for the overall line up, I tend to prefer the smaller bands and get more excited

about that.

 The overall music?

5 – I am all about the music and the music genre at rock music festivals.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – This does not influence me what so ever. Sometimes I'll enjoy the other things, but only

because they're there.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

Wanting to see a collection of bands in a similar genre. Considering rock has slightly fallen out of the mainstream a little bit (and seeing how reading has changed, which used to be the 'home of rock!!!') it's nice to go to a rock-based festival because the crowd tends to be nice and people bond over a shared consistent love of this music regardless of the mainstream opinion! If a rock line-up

is overall good, I'll definitely be keen, but I know I'll have a good time because I know that the other people likely to go are a good crowd and it's nicer than say electronic dance music crowds or super young pop festivals like V.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Yes and no – I tend to volunteer at festivals instead because I like to go to a variety of festivals to catch all the bands I possibly can because it's unlikely to get all of them at one festival... so in a way yes it does because I couldn't afford 3 x tickets every year! But now I volunteer I no longer pay attention to the ticket price because it doesn't apply to me!

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes, what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

In a way yes... like you get an idea of the type of crowd by talking to people. It's definitely something I'll consider, but it won't massively influence my decision because I'll be wary of it (if it's a dodgy/young) crowd and mind my own business. But it's reassuring when you hear really positive things about a festival reputation like download people being a bit older and really nice, amongst the nicest. So that's good!

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Yes! If I can't reasonably get there then I probably won't buy a ticket. The price is really expensive for a ticket anyway. It is like the cost of a holiday. And travel in the UK isn't cheap. Especially when

I was coming from Wales it was quite hard and costly to get to a lot of festivals so it didn't make sense to spend an extra £100 to £200 travelling on top of the ticket price – it was unaffordable. If the music is really, really good and my friends are going, then I'll make an exception. But it would have to be seriously exceptional circumstances for me to travel! I've got an idea in my head of what I consider to be a reasonable add on cost and the time too!

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

Yes I have been to all sorts of Festivals, such as Greenman Festival. I love it there but it is very different, it is almost more hippy and cultural with far more secondary activities to partake in. As much as I love them it does not seem to have the same passion as people attending a rock music festival.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required think within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I think if you like rock music and your music a little heaver, Download is the place to be. It is where everyone goes. I don’t feel any pressure to go to them but festivals seem to be the ‘cool’ thing to do more and more so. As horrible as it sounds to say that out loud.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

The music. There's a certain 'thing' you get with rock music and the type of people that share that appreciation. You know you've all had the same experiences, it's the faithfulness to the music and the type of people that enjoy it too – you know you've all got this unspoken thing in common and that's what festivals are great for. But specifically a UK rock festival would be the fact I can get all the good music I love in one place over one weekend with rock being the main focus when it can be so side-lined!

Interviewee No.3 (Ella)

Background Questions

 Gender – female

 Age – 23

 Occupation – full time employment as a retail assistant

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have been to Reading Festival, Glastonbury Festival quite a few times and they play a bit of rock and I plan to go to Download Festival this year. I love festivals – there is nothing that compares to them. I have been to several festivals, let’s see; Big Chill, Nozstock, Reading and Leeds, Bidford

Blues, and Glastonbury Festival four times.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

4 – Working full time is a little daunting when you think about how you have so many more

years to do that for. Festivals are like their own little world that you can forget about

everything else for a short while.

 Curiosity?

2 – I’m not really curious about them, I have been to several included other festivals that

aren’t rock and I know what to expect although I would say I am curious to go to other

festivals outside the UK to see how they compare.

 Experience something different?

3 – I prefer to go to festivals over taking a holiday. Although I am looking forward to going to

Download Festival as I haven’t been before and it looks different to the ones I have been to.

 Discover something new?

4 – I love that feeling you get from going to festivals, it always seems to give me a new

lease of life and almost motivates me to achieve the things I have always wanted to do. It is

like I crave new things after going to a festival.

 Because your friends are going?

4 – I won’t go by myself so I suppose it is a big factor. I think no matter what the festival I

can have a good time if my friends are going. My friends have raved about Download

Festival so many times it has made me want to go.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

5 – I love the fact that at rock music festivals everyone there has this love for rock music, it

is like a passion that I don’t think you will find at say a pop festival. Metal head’s for example

stereotypically have been outcasts when they are younger, and it is nice for everyone to be

together.

 The atmosphere there?

5 – This is one of the main things I love about going to a festival. The atmosphere there is

always insane, it gives me butterflies. It is honestly my favourite time of the year being at a

festival. You cannot compare a festival atmosphere to anything else.

 The headline acts?

2 – I have never been too fussed about the headline acts, there is usually always some

bands I will like at a festival.

 The overall music?

5 – Definitely the overall music, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to listen to mainstream

music all day, I like rock music and that is why I want to go. There are not a huge amount of

UK rock music festivals.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – This doesn’t sway me at all, although the secondary activities at Glastonbury Festival

are an added bonus, you do not get all that much at other rock music festivals. It is kind of

more of a social event.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

I go because I love the music, and I can share that experience with my favourite people. You don’t get that sort of experience from anywhere else, no holiday compares. Festivals are one of a kind and all your favourite bands being in one place, so it is just non-stop music.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

This does not bother me at all really, it is still cheaper than holiday and a lot of festivals have schemes where you can split the payments over several months which really helps.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Yes in terms of you would not find me going to Creamfields or something, I think my friends would laugh at me. There is almost cool festivals to go to if you listen to rock music. To be honest I think those most renowned for being cool are actually abroad.

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Not really. Although I always hate the idea of sitting in all that traffic after you’ve slept in a field for a few days.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

Yes several of the festivals I mentioned earlier are not rock music festivals. I think really it is a matter of age difference really, I went to more pop music festivals when I was younger. Then I was hanging around with a bunch of hippy friends at college and they went to a festival called Nozstock

– which I loved but for completely different reasons. I did not like the music but it was such a chilled atmosphere and everyone from my area was going at that point. Now I am more self- assured I go to festivals and listen to the music I love. As much as I have a great time at other festivals it still doesn’t compare to seeing a band you actually love.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required think within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I go out in this metal bar where I am from, it seems that everyone has to go to download. That weekend it is on, no one is out because they are all at the festival. There is a certain pride with listening to rock and metal music and almost a competitive thing about it. Like if you listen to a certain band that aren’t regarded as cool you are judged for it. It seems to be more present within the rock community.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

It is the music really. I think people who listen to rock music are really passionate about their music and then to be surrounding by like-minded people who all share that passion for rock music just creates an amazing atmosphere.

Interviewee No. 4 (Stephen)

Background Questions

 Gender – Male

 Age – 49

 Occupation – Full-time decorator

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have been to lots of different festivals over the years, mainly rock music festivals but some blues festivals too. In my younger days I have been to Bloodstock and Glastonbury Festival.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

5 – Working all the time is miserable, you need to allow yourself something to look forward

to and that is out of your daily life else things can get tough.

 Curiosity?

2 – When I was younger I was curious about everything, I wanted to get out and about. I

don’t think that is the same now, I don’t go to a festival because I’m curious. I have been to

enough to know.

 Experience something different?

4 – I like experiencing new things, I travelled a lot, and I have been to a lot of places and

different events. I think that it where you gain real knowledge.

 Discover something new?

3 – I am going to interpret this question as discovering something new about myself

because that it what I think festivals allow you to do. Those sort of experiences shape who

you are as you get older.

 Because your friends are going?

1 – This made no difference to me, I would go anywhere and do anything by myself. I can

socialise with anyone and I am a confident enough person to know that I will have a good

time no matter what and wherever I go I usually bump into someone I know.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

3 – I can get along with all walks of life but it definitely helps to be around those who you

share similar interests with.

 The atmosphere there?

5 – I think that this is one of the main points with me, at the right festival the atmosphere is

what makes it. Especially at a rock music festival, the atmosphere is one of a kind.

 The headline acts?

2 – It helps although as long as there is some enjoyable music at a festival I am happy.

 The overall music?

4 – I think the overall music is more important. You would not find me going to a pop music

festival because I don’t like that music. I think I would have looked out of place even at 20

years old.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

3 – These don’t really bother me, as long as you have music, can have a conversation with

someone then you don’t need much more than that. It is important to be able to get a good

beer though.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

If the festival is playing some good rock music and I can have a beer then I am happy so I suppose

the music is important. I want to be able to socialise although this doesn’t need to be with people that I know already. You are with people who enjoy the same festival, which is at least one thing you will have in common with them.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

I think you get a lot for your money festivals but I do not go to the big ones anymore, I prefer a slightly more peaceful life now I am older. It is hard not to compare how much you paid 20/30 years ago to how much you pay now. I was gobsmacked when my stepdaughter told me.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

To a degree I suppose, I don’t like anything too commercialised. I have been to Glastonbury

Festival many years ago and it was nothing like it is now, it would definitely be too commercial nowadays for me. When I was younger we just went to everything, as long as they were playing the right type of music then we would go.

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

That never bothered me, I have been to festivals all over the world too, and if you want to go then you will make it happen. It is as simple as that.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

I go to a lot of blues festivals now, like I said I won’t go to anything too big now. I don’t feel like I’m young enough for them. I think rock music festivals are quite special and a little more intense.

Being at a blues festival everyone is more relaxed whereas with rock you tend to find a livelier crowd and mosh pits, walls of death. You know it comes with the scene. Everyone just seems to go a bit nuts, it is just a shared love for rock and metal.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I have always done what I wanted, I never fitted in anyway and I never cared what people thought.

I would say maybe my friends went because I did and then it would become a big social thing for us.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

I am musical and I have a lot of friends who are musical, rock music was a huge part of our lives growing up and it still is now. I think it is this shared love for rock music and nothing beats listening to a band playing live, that is how you distinguish the good bands from the bad… how they sound live. Being at a festival is a bonus because the majority of people feel the same way as you do.

Interviewee No.5 (Georgina)

Background Questions

 Gender – Female

 Age – 25

 Occupation – student

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

Reading and Leeds Festival. I have planned to go to other festivals of various music genres.

Mainly planned to go to festivals abroad, so I can enjoy a holiday at the same time. In total I have been to 4 festivals.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

5 – I have a very busy life being a student with a 4 year old, I think I will go insane if I did not

have a chance to get away from daily life every now and then.

 Curiosity?

3 – I would be more curious to go to more rock music festivals as my experience at one was

very different to what I am used to.

 Experience something different?

5 – I think rock music festivals are very different and I would like to experience that again.

There is nothing like festivals in general, they are different to any other event.

 Discover something new?

4 – Going to music festivals kind of makes me feel like a teenager again, like I remember

what it’s like before I had all my responsibilities as an adult.

 Because your friends are going?

4 – This is very important to me, I want to be able to social with my friends. I would never go

by myself and they are usually the ones to persuade me to go in the first place anyway.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

3 – I actually listen to more mainstream music than I do rock music but I still enjoyed my

time at a rock music festival, I think once you are at a UK rock music festival you all share

the same interest of wanting to be there anyway.

 The atmosphere there?

5 – The atmosphere at Reading Festival was unlike any other festival I have been to,

everyone is so happy, chanting, singing and having a laugh together. It is just one big

family.

 The headline acts?

5 – Well I don’t think you would go if you didn’t like the music would you?

 The overall music?

5 – You get a lot of music for your money at a music festival. I will only go to festivals where

I enjoy that genre of music else it would just take away from the experience overall.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

4 – I like to be able to do things other than just the music, something to pass the time if

there is not any music on. Especially after the live music finishes and you’re not ready to

call it a night. I like to be able to go to a silent disco or something.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

UK rock festivals are accessible and vast, throughout various times in the year and not excessively expensive. A majority of my friends attend multiple festivals each year and the atmosphere of a rock festival is one of the biggest motivators.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

It does not affect my overall decision to purchase a ticket, however, I do feel that I have to save money and consider the financial implications. They are getting more and more expensive.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

No, to my knowledge and from experience the reputation of most festivals is that of a good, safe and friendly environment, especially at rock festivals as you tend to have a more diverse age range I find.

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

No, the location is part of the experience. I don’t mind travelling as long as there is easy access.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

I have been to a more mainstream music festival, chart music etc... I liked it equally because there are a whole variety of people and music, something for everyone rather than a specific genre.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I feel as though I gain an experience to remember, culture and the opportunity to make friends.

You do always hear people who listen to rock music talk about who they have seen and where and what festival they have been to. It’s quite competitive but I don’t have the money or time to contend with that.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

Overall, I attend a UK rock music festival because I enjoy the music and the atmosphere, the vibe of the festival is positive, shared experience where people who have similar interests can have the fortune to see their favourite acts perform live.

Interviewee No.6 (Mark)

Background Questions

 Gender – Male

 Age – 29

 Occupation – Office worker

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have been to Download Festival quite a few times and I am looking at going again this year.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

5 – I do a lot of the same things, go to work, play my games and maybe go to the pub. It is

nice to get out and do something different get away from the repetition.

 Curiosity?

2 – I was never really curious about what a festival would be like but I did want to see what

all the fuss was about. Lots of people I knew were started to go to rock music festivals when

I was younger.

 Experience something different?

4 – I think it is the same as getting away from daily life really, it is something different to do.

I do not do all that much exciting it is nice to do something exciting for a week out the year.

 Discover something new?

3 – I do think rock festivals kind of give you a new lease of life for a week where everyone

feels like a new person by the end of the festival, that’s until the sleep deprivation kicks in

and everyone crashes.

 Because your friends are going?

5 – It is one big social thing, the moment a couple of friends decide to go then usually

everyone jumps on the bandwagon and decided to go. As long as a few of us are going I

don’t need much persuasion.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

5 – There aren’t many places you can really go where there is a large amount people

together with a shared interest in rock music other than a festival. It just makes the

atmosphere so much better, of course you get your idiots still but less so than other genres!

 The atmosphere there?

5 – Yeah like I said before the atmosphere at a rock festival is insane, I think everyone just

relaxes and has a laugh. We all make the most of being there being able to listen to some

great music.

 The headline acts?

3 – It doesn’t really affect my final decision but I do think it can persuade me to go to one

festival over another.

 The overall music?

5 – I will only go to a rock festival or metal, what I like to call proper music. I am a bit of a

music snob so it is important to me.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – These do not bother me at all. You make your own fun don’t you, you social and drink. I

don’t feel I need to do anything else than that and listen to the music.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

Mainly it is the music although I would not go without the persuasion of my friends, rock festivals are just as much a social event that it is for the music. Except everyone kind of socialises together as a big family.

Does the price of a music festival ticket affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

No not at all, don’t get me wrong they are quite expensive and keep increasing but they are worth it and much cheaper than going on holiday. You could pay half the price of a ticket just for one gig nowadays.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

I think they all have pretty good reputations. I wouldn’t really go to Reading and Leeds, It is more for the kids and isn’t heavy enough. Whereas somewhere like Bloodstock is a bit much so there isn’t really all that much choice in the UK really.

Does the location of the music festival affect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Not at all, I would go out of the UK too. They usually are never right by me anyway so what is the difference in travelling a couple extra hours?

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

No I don’t think it is for me, I do not like any other music so I can’t imagine myself liking another genre festival. I imagine them very different to a rock festival. Less of an atmosphere.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I like to add a new band to list of who I have seen, you know you talk about it with your friends, who was good live and how many times you have seen them. My friends and I are musical so going to festivals is quite important purely to see more acts. I don’t know many of my friends who listen to rock music who haven’t been to a festival.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

For the love of the music, gaining that new knowledge and experience it gives you! It is just one of things you have to do in the rock community. There is nothing that beats watching a band live, with rock they sound better live unlike most pop singers.

Interviewee No. 7 (Hannah)

Background Questions

 Gender – Female

 Age – 22

 Occupation – Event Co-ordinator

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

Reading Festival. I have been twice. Both times I went because of the great musical line-up and the fact I was volunteering there. I will say that volunteering at the festivals is not the main reason I went but it was a way I could go.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strong agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

3 – It is just something to do every summer that isn’t work.

 Curiosity?

4 – I am definitely curious to experience lots of different festivals, no two seem the same so

you are always in for a surprise of some sort.

 Experience something different?

4 – Same as previous question really.

 Discover something new?

3 – I do think that I almost am a slightly different person at a festival, I am more relaxed and

happy so I would say discover something new about myself.

 Because your friends are going?

5 – I would not go without my friends, I am easily swayed. I think the moment a friend asks

me to go then I will be up for any rock festival.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

2 – Festivals like Glastonbury I think that there everyone is in fact quite different and at

Reading Festival, some people seemed hard-core and others seemed quite normal.

 The atmosphere there?

4 – You can never quite describe the atmosphere at a festival, it is magical!

 The headline acts?

5 – I would not go unless I like the headline acts.

 The overall music?

5 – All about the music, I like a lot of music but if you are considering on whether to go and

then a rock festival brings out a line-up with loads of bands that you want to see it makes you

want to go immediately.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – It does not bother me at all, you go there for the music don’t you.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

The headline acts are 100% why I chose to go to the rock festivals I have been to. No other type of event brings huge amounts of artists to one place like a festival. I wouldn’t go to a rock festival on my own, so my friends going played a huge part in the reason I went. I think going to a festival with a group of friends is almost a must when you are growing up.

Does the price of a music festival ticket effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Yes, prices for festivals are becoming ridiculous! I have been to 5 festivals in my life and never as a

“punter” due to the price. Luckily, there are other ways of attending like volunteering but you never

get the full experience.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Yes, some rock festivals in my mind have a reputation for being extremely “grundgy” and can attract people I would not like. I think some rock music can be a bit aggressive for me especially when there is a large crowd involved which can lead to some dangerous “moshing”. After reading some stories on social media about certain rock festivals it definitely puts me off. Not all rock music festivals are like this though.

Does the location of the music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Yes, if it is outside of the UK then it would be a big investment in both time and money to attend but

I don’t mind travelling anywhere in the UK to attend a festival.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

Yes, I have attended small festivals which are all about local talent and new music and I have been huge festivals where there is everything from jazz to EDM to pop to rock as well as having a large part of the festival dedicated to no music. I am attracted to local music festivals as it is nice to listen to the music that is being created around you. I enjoyed the large contemporary arts festival because there is really something for everyone; all genres of music rolled into one festival. The difference in both these festivals compared to a rock music festival is the atmosphere. I think atmosphere at festivals specifically for rock music can be very high pressured and amped up where as the others are both quite chilled and you can still enjoy rock music. I’m not saying that I don’t like the differences, just the fact that there are differences.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival? Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I don’t think you gain anything from attending UK rock music festivals, compared to other types of

festivals other than the artists that you hear whilst you are there. Everyone has their favourite genre of music and if it’s rock then you definitely have to attend at least one rock music festival in your life!

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

My overall reason for attending UK rock music festivals is the fact that I love the music and I go to listen to my favourite artists. When you love music, you have to listen to it live!

Interviewee No. 8 (Rose)

Background Questions

 Gender – Female

 Age – 24

 Occupation – Nanny

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

Reading and Glastonbury, if you include Glastonbury.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strong agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

2 – It is nice to do something out of daily life but daily life isn’t so bad.

 Curiosity?

3 – I think I am curious to go to different festivals as all the rock music festivals are different

but once I have been to one that curiosity factor doesn’t really play a part.

 Experience something different?

4 – There isn’t anything like festivals, the experience is one of a kind.

 Discover something new?

4 – The same as the previous question really.

 Because your friends are going?

2 – This doesn’t bother me, I am happy to volunteer at festivals by myself but I wouldn’t buy

a ticket and go by myself. When you volunteer you always make new friends.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

2 – I still think everyone can be really different who go to rock music festivals and people

really do go for all sorts of different reasons.

 The atmosphere there?

3 – It does contribute but it isn’t a main factor for me, everything has to kind of come

together.

 The headline acts?

3 – They are important but it is the music collectively.

 The overall music?

4 – It is one of the most important factors for me, as long as there is rock music I love then I

am happy, I don’t always even watch the headliners.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

3 – A lot of festivals barely have anything extra to do although it is nice to have those extra

options.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

My motivations for attending a rock festival was to see the acts and to experience a festival as

Glastonbury was the first festival I had ever been to and Reading was my second. As I attended

Reading as a volunteer this motivated me to go even more as I would be attending the festival for free and I would be staying in a staff camp site, if I had to pay for a full price ticket and had to stay in the normal camp sites I’m not sure I would have attended.

Does the price of a music festival ticket effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Yes depending on my income at the time I would seriously consider not going to a festival as many festivals with big artists are very expensive.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Yes although if it was a festival with acts I liked with little or no reputation i would consider attending. A bad reputation would affect my decision would affect my decision more than a good one. But a good reputation would motivate me to buy a ticket.

Does the location of the music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

It would affect my decision to a certain extent but I would consider travelling up to about four hours for a festival.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

If Glastonbury is classed as a rock festival then I have attended that and I enjoyed the fact that there was a variety of different activities as well as the music and lots of things to see on site. From the experiences I have had Glastonbury it seemed much more varied and friendlier than Reading.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival?

Yes I feel I gained an experience and because of the volunteering as a steward at reading I gained experience in that two which motivated me to attend.

Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I don’t feel like it’s a required thing to do. I reckon if you were a rock music fan one of the things people would enjoy doing would be seeing their favourite band live whether that be at a rock concert or at a rock festival personally I would prefer going to a rock concert rather than a festival as from my personal experience you are able to see and hear more of the act when at a concert.

But I don’t feel it is a ‘required’ thing to do.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

I reckon the main reason is the acts, if there wasn’t any one or only a few acts that I liked I wouldn’t attend.

Interviewee No. 9 (Dave)

Background Questions

 Gender – Male

 Age – 32

 Occupation – IT Specialist

What rock festival(s) have you attended previously or have planned to go to and why? How many have you been to?

I have been to Bloodstock Festival and Download Festival quite a few times, many rock music festivals abroad and lots of smaller rock music festivals as well all over the UK.

How would you rate on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strong agree) do you think these reasons motivate you to attend a UK rock music festival and give a reasoning why?

 To get away from daily life?

5 – The summers are short in the UK, I like to make the most of them by getting away from

work.

 Curiosity?

2 – They started off as a curiosity thing but now I know what I get back from them.

 Experience something different?

4 – Nothing is the same as them, holidays are good for relaxing but festivals are different,

they are special.

 Discover something new?

3 – All the festivals I have been to have something different about them but it is more about

discovering something new about myself. I meet new people every time I feel like I come

back a new person every time.

 Because your friends are going?

5 – I like to go with friends although I do always meet new people when I am there. I think

because I am a bit older now I wouldn’t go without my friends as there is often a lot of

younger people at festivals such as Download Festival and there are differences between

us that way.

 To be surrounded by people with similar interests?

2 – Everyone is different and like I said yeah we all share this immense love for rock music

but I find a difference between the younger lot and I. Sometimes they can be a little too

overly excited for me.

 The atmosphere there?

5 – The atmosphere is what makes them so special. I can’t explain it.

 The headline acts?

5 – This definitely helps me choose which festival I am going to go to every year.

 The overall music?

4 – When I am going to the smaller festivals then it is all about the overall music there as

the headline acts are necessarily that well known.

 The secondary activities at the festival?

1 – No that doesn’t matter as long as I can have a drink and socialise then I suppose we

create our own entertainment outside of the music.

Can you discuss your motivations for wanting to attend a UK rock music festival? Consider the points made in the previous scoring question such as friends and the headline acts.

I go for the music, you know rock music is special I think that all the metal heads are so much more into their music compared to a lot of other music listens. I don’t know that is just my opinion, I could be wrong but it seems like that.

Does the price of a music festival ticket effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

Although they have increased over the years I am still happy to pay the prices, it seems worth it.

Does the reputation of a rock music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If yes what do you mean by that, and if no then why?

Not really, I don’t know if many have bad reputations. I wouldn’t go to Reading and Leeds Festival, the crowd is too young for me, I would feel way too old there but there is more of mix elsewhere.

Does the location of the music festival effect your decision to buy a ticket? If no then why?

This doesn’t bother me at all, I go abroad for them.

Have you been to another genre music festival? What did you enjoy about it and why? What did you find different about them to a rock music festival?

No I haven’t, I cannot imagine that would be for me. I like heavy music only. I think I would spend the whole time comparing it to all the rock music festivals I have been to. They wouldn’t be the same.

Do you feel like you are gaining something from attending a UK rock music festival?

Yeah I suppose seeing a new band each time I feel like I am gaining a new experience every time, something special that I will always remember.

Does this feel like a required thing to do within the rock music community and your friendship group?

I mean I don’t think I have ever met someone who is really into their rock and metal music that who does not want to go to a festival. I don’t really know how you can exactly call yourself a fan if you haven’t even at least seen one band live or been to a festival. They are missing out.

What would you say is your overall main reason for attending a UK rock music festival and why?

My love for the music, together with the atmosphere at a rock music festival just creates this overall amazing experience that I spend with my friends every year.