Factors influencing audience seat selection in a concert hall: A comparison between music majors and nonmusic majors

The current study investigated audience seat selection in a concert hall. After a preliminary survey that examined the importance of seat location and concertgoers' reasons for selecting certain seats, we created a questionnaire and asked 60 music majors and 65 nonmusic majors to answer questions about seat selection. They were asked to refer to a concert hall seat map and to choose their preferred seat for six different types of concerts. The questions were developed to determine their main reasons for favouring a seat-the quality of sound, visibility of the performer(s), or visibility of the stage. The main results suggest that (1) both music and nonmusic majors prioritize visual factors over auditory factors when selecting a seat; (2) seating selection in the two groups was highly similar, although it varied somewhat in relation to the quality of sound; (3) with regard to horizontal direction, preferred seats concentrated close to the centreline except for concerts with a piano soloist. In terms of vertical direction, posterior seats were preferred for large-scale bands, whereas anterior seats were preferred for small-scale performances, except for rock bands.