The live content technology platform TagMix has published findings from the first full season of its TagMix iPhone app, which was launched earlier this year.
TagMix allows users to sync their self-shot footage and social media content with sound desk audio. The festival can then post user-generated content with sound direct from the stage.
In 2026 it was used across 44 festivals in ten countries during 2026, including US festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Governors Ball to Germany’s Rock am Ring, Ireland’s Electric Picnic and Mighty Hoopla, Truck, Y Not and Victorious in the UK.
According to TagMix, festivals using the app published 60% more content and generated 3.9 times as many total video views. It also compared individual TagMix posts with those from 513 other festivals in the same territories, but doesn’t say which festivals these were or whether they were comparable in size or demographics.
According to the platform’s data, unedited live videos filmed on phones generated a 13.9% reaction rate across festivals using the app, compared to 3.2% for professionally made post-wrap edits. This, claims TagMix, shows a shift in audiences and algorithms prioritising user-generated content over professionally produced content.
TagMix gathered its data through analysing the Instagram and TikTok posts of 557 global festivals, including 44 TagMix-associated festivals. The company measured the level of engagement each festival received through likes, comments and shares alongside engagement rate, positive comments and number of posts.
TagMix doesn’t say how much content is produced by fans compared to professionals, but it could be that, with more UGC than professional footage, UGC is more likely to have a higher reaction rate.
“Festivals have never been short of extraordinary moments. The limitation has always been how many of them you can turn into high-quality content quickly enough for them still to matter,” says Andy Dean, founder and CEO of TagMix. “When somebody standing in the crowd can capture a moment, combine it with the professional live sound and publish it seconds later, suddenly far more of the festival becomes FOMO content. We’ve seen that translate into significant uplifts in ticket sales for festivals.”
