Popularity of sacred vs. secular music in early music?

While obviously most of the music that has survived from early music is sacred, is there any evidence that secular music performances outside the walls of the church for entertainment purposes was less common? I'd imagine there was just as much secular music as sacred and that the sacred music was better recorded and stored through the years so that it survived the ages much better.

Popularity of sacred vs. secular music in early music?

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Music was not recorded to paper until the Middle Ages. During that time the focus of music was for the church primarily. There is no real solid evidence of recreational music until the Renaissance, with the troubadors. This is mainly because the focus of daily life during the MA's was religion. Not a whole lot was done for personal pleasure at this time. I don't think that it had anything to do with keeping track of it, the evidence really suggests that there just wasn't a whole lot of secular music early on.

Popularity of sacred vs. secular music in early music?

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There probably was just as much secular music as sacred. While we don't have the written music for it, pictures that have survived show people playing instruments. Some with people dancing to the music. That shows entertainment. The reason that sacred music survived with so much is because it was written by the educated monks for religious purposes. They were able to keep copying the records. The common people didn't have the knowledge of reading and writing and were not able to make records of their music. But the fact that actual secular music survives from ancient greece (in the form of musical drama) shows that secular music was popular enough to record during that time.
There simply was not as much secular music. Secular music DID exist, but it just was not as common. As pointed out by the original answerer of your question, the religion was the driving force in the lives of most people during the early times. The roots of western music as we know it come straight from the plain chant of monks from their masses.

As it were, even once music became most popular, religion was still such a huge driving force. Bach, for example, though he was in the Baroque period, and undoubtedly one of the most influential composers of western music, ever, wrote specifically for the church. He signed every piece that he wrote with "For the Glory of God" (only, in German). In fact, most of the musicians during the Baroque and Classical eras were employed specifically by churches.

So the point is, this is not a case of "they just didn't write it down"; this is a case of "it was not as common". Sacred music wins before the Classical and then mainly the Romantic eras. Earlier than that, the church (which was very powerful) believed strongly that music should only be written in a way that it serve's "God's will".

Hope this helps!