Exploring the self-identity and personality of classical music concert audiences

Abstract

This research explores the self-identity concept and personalities of classical music audiences as indicators of consumer behaviour in relation to their level of involvement with music. This descriptive research utilised secondary data in forms of literature and primary data collected specifically for this study. This was collected to gather the self-identity and personality insights on classical music audiences through a self-administered online survey which was distributed by various musical institutions in Malta. A total of 621 responses were collected, of which 357 qualified as classical concert audiences. Data was the statistically analysed using various statistical analysis software. Data underwent various operations such as data reductions and correlation analysis to be analysed accordingly. The results obtained showed that the self-identity concept doesn’t suffice as a predictor of consumer behaviour in classical music when the population tested is heavily involved with music. Prevailant personality traits of the sample population were also obtained. Nonetheless, the self-identity concept still paints a valid picture of the characteristics which make up the classical music audience. These findings can help address the inter-audience conflicts and the initiator/respondent process which occur in the audience base. This research is only the first steppingstone towards getting an understanding of the classical music situation in Malta. However, it can be assured that such studies will leave a positive impact on organisations who apply these findings to practical use.