I have seen two more news stories about symphony orchestras going bankrupt. What in the world is happening? We could say this is a case of audiences no longer relating to these bigger organizations and how they function and present their art. Times are changing and the ways that audiences want to participate and become…
In my area, it is Open Studios time. These are events where artists open up their home studios to invite visitors to get to know them and to see their art that is for sale. I go to this event almost every year to visit some of my favorite artists in the area. I…
Lately I have been reading Seth Godin’s blog which is mainly about being honest with yourself so you can run your business more openly and directly (and you will reap the benefits). At least, this is the message that keeps coming to me each time I read one of his posts. He also is a…
I invited Connie Rhind Robey an arts marketing consultant in Washington, DC and Amy Higgins who is on the board with San Francisco Opera’s Bravo Club (a group of young professionals) to co-host today’s #auddev chat. We discussed building younger audiences. The agenda was set for discussing: Definition of younger audiences – how do you define…
Every once in a while, I seem to need to ramble about a topic that has popped up in my head with aspirations to be explored more. Today, I have been thinking about relevancy. When we think about the products we buy, they need to be relevant to our lives or we will not purchase…
Last week I found a blog that was resurrected for another round on Twitter: The Top 10 Reasons to Support the Arts (from Arts Watch) This blog post is a good summary of many of the practical reasons why the arts are good for us: 10. True prosperity 9. Stronger communities 8. Health and well-being…
In terms of good audience development, building relationships with your patrons is key. However, time and time again I see many artists and arts organizations forget to spend time on and with their most valuable patrons. We seem to be doing business backwards. We reward our newcomers with discounts and extra attention and the only…
I saw another listing of an orchestra filing for Chapter 11 today. Right now I am hoping and praying that more people will start seeing the value of audience development and do what they can to give it a fair try. It is sad to see artists and arts organizations in trouble, especially when they…
So, there seems to be a new discussion as of late to continue the debate about whether or not educational outreach programs are worth the time and effort for audience development purposes. I used to say hands down that they are, but now I am slowly leaning towards saying maybe they are not worth it,…
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