The blind spot in arts audience research

For decades, arts leaders have been told to focus on people who already love the arts. Here's why that advice is limiting growth.

This focus on existing arts lovers has fundamentally shaped how we research audiences—and that's where the limitation begins.

Traditional audience research starts with cultural participation. The result? Segments that center the product. The underlying assumption? The product is enough to attract newcomers.

If you're trying to grow your audiences, this is like fishing in a tiny pond while ignoring the giant ocean next door.

Here's the fundamental problem: when you only study people who already attend, you're guaranteed to miss insights from the vast majority of your potential market. You're essentially asking, 'How can we get more people like the ones we already have?' But if that approach worked, your audiences would be growing, not declining.

The data from traditional research creates a closed loop—it can only reveal patterns within the 12-14% who already engage, leaving 86-88% of potential audiences invisible.

Meanwhile, 79.5 million Americans report feeling lonely. Millions are desperate for digital detox. Millions more are searching for new ways to combat stress.

This is how you build segments that center the customer. Segments that resonate deeply with every consumer, without relying on their familiarity with the product.

These aren't segments rooted in the demographics and preferences of traditional patrons. They’re segments that sit at the intersection between arts outcomes and broad consumer trends. They're universal human needs that cut across every demographic.

When you start with human struggles instead of cultural habits, you stop trying to squeeze more from your loyal patrons—and start reaching entirely new markets.

Want more diverse audiences? Diversity begins when you stop fishing the same tiny pond. It’s time to expand your reach beyond the usual suspects.