Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
I remember attending a Three Tenors concert at the 20,000 seat MCI Center in Washington D.C. in 2001. It was my first experience attending a “classical” style concert in that type of venue. I recall walking into the arena and I was struck by the overpowering smell of chicken strips. About half of the regular concession stands and merchandise kiosks were operating and doing good business. The lines were as long …
There is a great deal of talk in the industry about building a new audience, but all that I’ve read in newspapers and discussed with those in the industry tends to focus on "things" to help solve the problem. But in a recent Reader Response letter from Emily in Toronto, she says "…orchestras haven’t meant to shut people out, but it would seem that some people have been alienated." This is …
Well I’ve been overwhelmed with getting some work done on my taxes (the really bad part of being self employed you know what I mean if you’re self employed too), so I haven’t had as much time to spend on the blog. But what I will do is take this opportunity to share some of my favorite quotes that sum up a great deal of my philosophy about this business and …
Recently I received an email Emily in Toronto in response to my about the special programs in Toronto and Nashville. She wanted to tell me about how the tsoundcheck program for the under 30 demographic at the Toronto Symphony has contributed to her involvement with the orchestra. I have been enjoying the tsoundcheck program for about two years now. I am 23 years old and would never have considered going to …
It seems that using revenue from subscription ticket sales to pay current debts is finally becoming recognized as a bad business practice. Back in November I wrote an article about this very issue and suggested that orchestras need to eliminate their dependence on future subscription sales to pay current debts. I was pleased to read fellow AJ blogger Andrew Taylor’s piece yesterday which focused on this very same issue. Although I’m not …