Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
I just want to kick off this topic by posting a Tweet thread from the always sharp Lisa Hirsch, better known to some as the author of The Iron Tongue Of Midnight. Lisa has routinely tracked how organizations assign and deal with fees so it comes as no surprise to see she’s approaching this subject from a post-pandemic ticket buyer perspective. I'm suddenly reminded, after a year of not complaining about …
If you’re ever interested in sparking a conversation among orchestra managers, musicians, or board members, ask them what they think about the us against them mentality. If you do, make sure to order a drink and sit back because it will probably be a long conversation. In a nutshell, us against them usually rears its ugly head during labor disputes but unlike a severe weather event that comes and goes, it’s …
Just a quick pointer today to highlight something Joe Patti published earlier this week about coming out of the pandemic with an adjusted perspective toward the value of various approaches to live streaming. The term “Internet famous” is used to imply a certain niche appeal, but sometimes that is enough. Every location and organization is going to be different in terms of what is available to be leveraged. As I mentioned, …
Recently, a reader reached out with an ironic life imitating art observation that connects the whole Juilliard student protests in response to tuition increases with an April Fool’s post here from 2018. The gag focused on a tongue-in-cheek music conservatory, “Juiliard Institute” (spelling error intentional), that started offering students financial aid with repayment in the form of securing a percentage of their future earnings. New Tuition Assistance Program Aspires To Reinvent Escalating …
Right before the compensation report week, we examined how Juilliard Students were protesting tuition hikes and since then, the situation has exploded. The New York Times and Rolling Stones both covered the story along with sector-specific outlets like Inside Higher Education. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the school’s administration has kept to a tight list of talking points but thanks reports in the aforementioned outlets, it became clear that they weren’t afraid to use …