Worth Keeping An Eye On
Mon, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
There is an intriguing set of events underway in Dayton, Ohio in that three of the dominant arts organizations are amidst the final stages of a proposed merger; the Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Ballet. Regular readers know that we haven’t looked favorably on most arts organization mergers; in general, they are far more
Arbitration Proposed In Louisville
Fri, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
According to a report filed by Elizabeth Kramer in the 2/9/2012 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Louisville Orchestra (LO) has issued an offer to the LO Musicians to enter into binding arbitration as a final measure to resolve the prolonged labor dispute and resultant work stoppage. But Kramer’s report indicates that the offer comes
Time To Begin Picking Up The Pieces In Richmond
Thu, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
Word on the street in Richmond, VA is the proposed legislation (VA HB 1254) to bar orchestra musicians from collecting unemployment during non-employed weeks is ostensibly dead in the water. The representative responsible for introducing the legislation, at the behest of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) board and executive director, officially withdrew it from consideration
Economics And Negotiations: Not Always Cut And Dry
Wed, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
One of the ongoing challenges related to examining orchestra negotiation issues is taking something with a relatively large number of dynamic variables and editing it down to point where you don’t need intimate knowledge of multiple components in order to identify and understand the related issues. Some topics are better suited to this than others
So Much Drama
Tue, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
Maybe there’s something in the water supply but there seems to be a bit more drama in the field than usual. Two particular flashpoints of interest are Indianapolis via the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) and Boston via the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). Flashpoint #1 – Indy The 2/4/2012 edition of the Indianapolis star
Culture Eats Strategy (and new models) For Lunch
Mon, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
There’s a terrific article at fastcompany.com making the rounds written by Shawn Parr about the overall value of a healthy company culture. It’s not written from the perspective of arts organizations but that doesn’t have any adverse impact on its overall value. Parr takes the time to examine why internal company culture is important but
Richmond Stakeholders Dig In
Fri, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
It seems the labor relationship between the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) board and musicians has, perhaps unsurprisingly, taken a downward turn following a board letter from 1/28/2012 that articulated their role in crafting and advancing proposed legislation that would bar orchestra musicians (including those in the RSO) from collecting unemployment during non-employed weeks throughout the
Using Basecamp For Season Planning
Thu, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
I recall having a conversation with the executive director for an under $2 million budget group several months ago and he was recounting some of the immediate hurdles he encountered when stepping into the job. One of the more nagging issues was the complete lack of a season planning calendar and to add insult to
Finding The Elusive Non-Economic Conversion Goal
Wed, Feb 2, 2012
by Drew McManus
When it comes to website design, identifying the primary conversion goals is pretty straightforward: sell tickets and collect donations. But what about all the other content; should everything on the site be designed to funnel into the hard-sell targets? In short, no; but the lack of clearly defined conversion goals can make content planning a
RSO Board To Musicians: It Is for Your Own Good
Tue, Jan 1, 2012
by Drew McManus
The news out of Richmond, VA continues to march along at a furious pace. The latest development centers on a 1/28/2012 memo from the Richmond (VA) Symphony Orchestra (RSO) board of directors to the RSO musicians about the organization’s involvement vis-a-vis proposed legislation that would bar musicians from receiving unemployment benefits during non-employed weeks.
