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Mamdani and the Met
See audience strategy from the demand side
Your go-to source for audience insight, consumer trends, business model strategy, and fresh thinking on what drives relevance, demand, and growth in the arts.
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BSO's 40% audience decline isn't a conductor problem or a financial problem. It's a business model problem. Here's what the data says—and why no conductor search fixes it.
The Met is in the New York Times again, searching for another solution to its financial crisis. This time, they brought in BCG.
Arts organizations aren't naturally resistant to change. But it feels that way, right? And it’s all too easy to assume that it’s a leadership problem. But it’s the model that creates inertia.
If listening were a pipeline to attendance, our concert halls would be packed. They're not. Here’s why.
Demographic and transactional data have been used to segment audiences for years—age, income, ticket history, and zip code serving as proxies for interest and intent. But these were never the whole story.
Opera Philadelphia’s recent decision to introduce a pay-what-you-can model, with tickets starting as low as $11, has generated considerable buzz.
Latest thinking
Oracle saved the Nashville Symphony’s season. Now comes the hard part: getting an organization full of people with different priorities, experiences, and beliefs to move forward together.
By partnering with NYC, the Met gains access to a broad network already connected to millions of New Yorkers outside its normal customer base. But there's a second opportunity here, and it could matter more than access.
The New York Times’ weekend episode of The Daily has a bold headline: Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It. That’s an enormous amount of pressure on one single person.
At first glance, these two screenshots look like a before-and-after website redesign. But what you’re really seeing is a change in how an orchestra understands the value it creates.
We'll never win the fight for attention with budget or spectacle. But understanding the human experience? That's how we win against massive brands and big tech.
Personalization without genuine customer understanding, says Gartner, can backfire. The solution? active personalization.
Can need-based intelligence increase engagement and drive higher ticket sales? A 16-week controlled test at the New Bedford Symphony.
This happens a lot. A demand-side insight surfaces in the sector, and the product-centric model absorbs it back into the same logic it's always run on.
BSO's 40% audience decline isn't a conductor problem or a financial problem. It's a business model problem. Here's what the data says—and why no conductor search fixes it.
The Met is in the New York Times again, searching for another solution to its financial crisis. This time, they brought in BCG.
Arts organizations aren't naturally resistant to change. But it feels that way, right? And it’s all too easy to assume that it’s a leadership problem. But it’s the model that creates inertia.
The moment you frame the sector's problems as structural, your board stops offering tactical fixes and starts asking the right questions.
What if arts patrons aren't inherently different? What if the traditional arts model makes them behave differently?
We’re living through the biggest data shift in 20 years, and it's forcing a reckoning for arts leaders: know your audience deeply, or lose them to organizations that do.
CEO: Ok, our stewardship is dialed in. Appreciation events, welcome gifts, the works. But donations are stuck. What’s your take?
New CMO: Don’t kill the messenger, but we’re playing one giving game when there are actually two.
It’s mid October. Your patrons are about to face one of their biggest holiday season frustrations: finding the perfect gift. Here are five consumer studies you need to know.
Personalization is billed as marketing’s holy grail. But most of what the industry calls “personalization” isn’t personal at all — it’s shallow behavioral tailoring, and consumers know it.
Built for a Different World: The Arts Sector Business Model Problem
Arts organizations aren't naturally resistant to change. But it feels that way, right? And it’s all too easy to assume that it’s a leadership problem. But it’s the model that creates inertia.
The Classical Music Attendance Paradox: Why 11M Listeners Don't Fill Concert Halls
If listening were a pipeline to attendance, our concert halls would be packed. They're not. Here’s why.
Beyond Demographics: Unlocking the Core Drivers of Engagement
Demographic and transactional data have been used to segment audiences for years—age, income, ticket history, and zip code serving as proxies for interest and intent. But these were never the whole story.
Can need-based intelligence increase engagement and drive higher ticket sales? A 16-week controlled test at the New Bedford Symphony.