This week I saw another article where an arts organization blamed their audience for the fact that they are closing their doors. “Low audience numbers,” they stated. It made me ponder what the real reasons were for the closing. Why were people not attending? There must be a reason(s), and it probably has something to do with how the organization was running.
I decided to put the question to my brilliant Twitter friends. Why are some arts organizations succeeding and why are some failing? Here is the story with a little help from Storify!
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“Hmmm… not sure we should keep blaming the audience for failing arts companies. It’s not the real reason! #auddev needed.
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“If an arts org has low audience numbers, what do you think is the reason behind this? Need feedback for blog.
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“Do you have thoughts about what makes some arts companies succeed and some fail? I’m working on a blog. #auddev #arts #2amt #nampc
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“I keep seeing articles on how arts orgs say they are closing due to low audience numbers, but they never go further to say their part in it.
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“@AudienceDevSpec Knowing who your aud is and what you want to say to them. Understanding where you fit in the local&natl landscape. #success
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“@AudienceDevSpec @melissaimpact My guess is, ones who fail forget there’s any specific “them” to whom to say things.
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“@dloehr @AudienceDevSpec and who forget the importance of how that “them” changes over the years
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“@dloehr @AudienceDevSpec As well as the importance of maintaining an intersect between “them” and “us”
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“@melissaimpact @dloehr I’m actually hoping to go a little deeper than this. Why are they not going the extra mile to get to know their auds
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“@melissaimpact @dloehr Is it they feel they don’t have the time? Is their money/efforts tied up in marketing?
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“@AudienceDevSpec @halcyontony @artemis_selena @dloehr I hesitate to say “bad”– I’d say “uncontextualized.”
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“@AudienceDevSpec I mean “bad” in the sense that it’s not interesting or not being seen. But it’s more likely the programming
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“@AudienceDevSpec Things they’re interested in attending. If you don’t produce work the audience is excited about seeing they won’t come
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“@AudienceDevSpec For example, the idea of seeing Crimes of the Heart or Steel Magnolias one more time makes me throw up in my mouth a little
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“@artemis_selena That’s how I feel about seeing Phantom of the Opera every day in the news. Ugh!
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“@AudienceDevSpec If you do work that excites people, that relates to them, that intrests them, you’ll never lack for audience.
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“@AudienceDevSpec think it usually boils down to either: lack of vision, lack of connection, or still building (if on a new path).
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“@AudienceDevSpec @dloehr They don’t care; they don’t have a specific enough mission; or they think the answer hasn’t changed since 1971
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“@halcyontony @AudienceDevSpec I would add to Tony’s comment focus on tactics rather than strategy(/vision)
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“@TRGArts @AudienceDevSpec dunno far too many arts orgs are doing the same things the same ways and getting the same results.
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“@halcyontony @TRGArts Maybe this is the problem. One-size does not fit all in terms of solutions.
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“@TRGArts @AudienceDevSpec a lot depends on the org though. Poor implementation can be tough to distinguish from lack of vision at times.
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“@halcyontony @audiencedevspec Exactly! It’s hard to turn away from tactics you’re used to even if they’re not working anymore
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“@halcyontony @TRGArts This would be the management component I am thinking about. The implementation needs good management.
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“@halcyontony @TRGArts So you mean mundane in terms of vision. Just to clarify this thought.
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“@halcyontony @audiencedevspec Agree, and everyone in the org needs to be on board
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“Agreed! RT @audiencedevspec: I think #arts orgs need to take more responsibility 4 their circumstances.It’s not the audiences’ fault.
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“@TRGArts @AllyYusuf_ True. It’s what I see though. The audience didn’t come. The audience didn’t respond. The audience…
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“@AudienceDevSpec @AllyYusuf_ Well, where’s the good in blaming the audience?
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“@audiencedevspec LOL. Ultimately, #arts orgs should provide an excellent product compelling messaging community focus 2 attract an audience.
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“@AudienceDevSpec Many multi-decade-old arts orgs here are still led by their founders. That contributes a great deal to inertia.
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“@audiencedevspec Succeed vs. Fail: when arts orgs devalue their tickets w/ too many freebies, discounts, etc w/o collecting & using data
I would have to say in general that there needs to be more responsibility taken by the organization (artist) as to why they are not succeeding. Simply blaming external factors is not going to allow us the ability to make positive changes. This means that we need to be more honest with how we are running our businesses. Typically, there are factors in how we are functioning that are contributing to low audience, low support monetarily or volunteer wise. I would say that we need to take a good look at ourselves and our businesses if we want to discover the reasons as to why we succeed and why we fail. The answers will be found, and we will be able to document what would be good to keep doing and what needs to be changed. In the near future I will go into my list of “whys”, but until then…
What do think?
Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana
Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
https://www.buildmyaudience.com
“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart
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For my email subscribers, I apologize for publishing via Storify since I did not have a chance to edit the post before it was sent out to you. Please do check out this post by clicking on the link to take you to the actual blog post. Thanks so much!
For small arts organizations (primarily theatre companies, but not just those) in small rural or semi-rural areas, there is also the difficulty of reaching an audience that doesn’t want to see something they haven’t seen before, or are otherwise familiar with in some way.
Why do you think Norm Foster does so well? Why do we see the stage version of the stories made famous in movies? Because they are a known commodity, and when you’re fighting against the tide of amateur sports and field work and stags & does, you must offer something that will make the would-be audience feel comfortable BEFORE they leave the comfort of their chesterfield & ice cold brew.
As theatre professionals, we cannot ignore our responsibility to provide growth and education, with new playwrights, new productions, theatre arts programs for children & youth, etc. But as business people, we also have the responsibility to put bums in the seats and pay the bills.
I worked with an AD once who blamed the marketing for the failure of audiences to come see a play that involved unmarried teenage sex and death. And that was the play that opened the season. I’m sure marketing was part of the problem, but I’m also sure that programming that play, in that community, especially as a season opener, had a lot to do with the audience numbers as well.
(FYI, the following year, the same company – without that AD – scheduled one more play, so that all productions had shorter runs but much fuller houses, and put the “tough” play in the middle of the season. And the season ticket holders, who came because they already had the tickets even if they weren’t sure they wanted to see this show, were the best marketing voice that play had. Second week numbers were a huge improvement. Plus, the word of mouth for all the shows was very positive because the ‘feel’ of a fuller house for every performance.)
Be brave, be inventive, reach out to new audiences, but do not forget for one minute who your audience is now, because they are the ones who still help you pay your bills.