All Entries in the "Audience Development" Category
Uncovering Hidden Value
In last week’s article, The Three Keys To Social Media Marketing For Orchestras, I asked readers what else of value, besides the actual music, do orchestras have that is interesting enough to potential ticket buyers and donors that it can be given away as a free gift. The responses were thought provoking and I want to use those suggestions as a starting point for continuing the discussion… (more…)
Unexpected Bear Traps In Philadelphia
In what is shaping up to be a classic example of good intentions run amuck, the embattled Philadelphia Orchestra became the target of Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist, Karen Heller. In her 2/7/2010 article, she takes the organization to task over their new slogan and branded marketing campaign “Unexpect yourself.” Although unabashedly frank in her analysis, Heller’s observations are spot-on and exactly the sort of scrutiny this business needs at this point in time… (more…)
Build a Private Teacher Outreach Program You Can Be Proud Of
Bill Eddins posted an excellent article called “The Missing Piece” on 12/13/2009 which espouses the idea that in conjunction with significant financial gifts (think eight figures) “each and every member of the orchestra commits to going into the community and teaching deserving students for four hours a week…for free.” In response to Bill’s piece, I posted a comment suggesting that in order to promote the study of musical instruments (as he suggests) but in the absence of significant financial gifts, there is a great deal of untapped opportunity for orchestras to build meaningful relationships with existing private music teachers… (more…)
Mad Men Week
Are you already developing a Mad Men jones following the show’s season finale last night? Then good news because from November 9-13 it’s Mad Men week here at Adaptistration where all week long, content is inspired by or related to Mad Men, the award winning television series at AMC. You don’t have to follow Mad Men to get something out of the posts this week, but it will certainly enhance the fun… (more…)
Maybe Mendelssohn Just Inspires Violence
For my money, it doesn’t get much better than reading an account of Joe Patti attending an orchestra concert. For those who don’t know Joe, he’s the author of Butts In The Seats and a fellow arts manager who runs a presenting theater in Honolulu, HI. Joe posted a piece on 9/21/2009 that reviews his experience attending a Honolulu Symphony performance featuring Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer performing Meyer’s Triple Concerto for Banjo, Double Bass, and Tabla… (more…)
Free = Good. Free + Big Screens = Better.
From out of the gloomy mist that has characterized business news the past few weeks, a bright and shiny silver lining is threading its way across several cities this weekend in the form of free simulcast concerts. For the past few years, operas have dominated this niche but this season, the Nashville Symphony jumps on the bandwagon with their opening night concert on 09/11/2009 featuring pianist Lang Lang and the debut of new music director, Giancarlo Guerrero… (more…)
Hang ‘Em By His Castanets!
For those of us who work at the business end of classical music, discussions about non-artistic components of the concert experience come up all the time. If you’re a regular Adaptistration reader, you know that we examine those issues on a regular basis and my opinion is that there are more non-artistic reasons behind most declines in concert attendance than artistic reasons. As such, it tends to catch me off guard when stakeholders within the business fail to take advantage of useful non-artistic criticisms simply because they are intertwined with uncomplimentary artistic observations… (more…)
“A Ship Is Safe In Harbor, But That’s Not What Ships Are For.”
A short while ago, Joe Patti posed a question over at Butts In The Seats asking whether or not orchestras should confine their programming to just a few genres. The first thing that popped into my head when I read his original post was a quote from Mark Twain: “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.” (more…)
Enough Of What I Think, What’s Your Opinion?
The ubiquitous standing ovation. Just about every orchestra musician that blogs has written about this topic at one point or another and most share a common thread; audience response to a lackluster performance with a standing ovation can have an unintentional demoralizing impact. During the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MO) board retreat last week, we talked about how the organization can develop its interaction with the audience and this topic popped up. But instead of warming up stale conversation leftovers, the organization’s board president, John Simmons, offered an intriguing personal encounter that is worth sharing… (more…)
TAFTO 2009 Contribution: Curt Long
Curt Long is a perfect example of the sort of fantastic orchestra executives you don’t hear enough about. After a long and successful tenure as Dayton Philharmonic’s executive director, he recently assumed the same duties with the Alabama Symphony. Curt’s Take A Friend To Orchestra (TAFTO) contribution focuses on how orchestras need to get outside of what he defines as the “comfortable, insulated insiders’ view of what audiences want” and work toward creating an environment that attracts and retains new listeners… (more…)
Thinking Outside The Box (Seats That Is)
Or at least that’s the focus of Holly Mulcahy’s latest article at Neo Classical that proposes the notion that it might be time for orchestras to consider the long tail merits of a managed referral program to aid audience development efforts. Over the last several years, I’ve had discussions with colleagues and clients about this idea on and off and the response has been mostly chilly. We even examined the idea back in 2004 (read) and the response was more of the same; but then again, when you’re in a serious situation, it might be in your best interest to consider doing things that you might otherwise think are unacceptable… (more…)
Following Up On Access And Affordability
Never one to avoid putting his money where his mouth is, Alex Ross posted a follow-up article to his “Cheap Seats” post which highlights some affordable concert offerings in the New York City area as well as throughout the US and UK. Alex also takes a moment to point out the benefit of having centralized concert listings which include affordable options. In a different outlook on this topic, Marc Geelhoed posted an article at Deceptively Simple expressing his dismay over a lack of effort on behalf of those searching for affordable concert events… (more…)
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Adaptistration is authored by orchestra consultant Drew McManus and since its launch in 2003, the blog has become standard reading for arts administrators and arts administration programs throughout the world.
