Editorial Cartoon: Bully For Them!
Tue, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
It seems that last week’s article about whether or not the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) is still competitive with attracting and retaining top talent among its peer group caught the attention of Dixon, Adaptistration’s Editorial Cartoonist. Like any good cartoonist, the article’s bar chart illustrating the POAs change in rank was what he focused on
Guest Blogger Gwydion Suilebhan
Mon, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
STRATEGIC DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS: A SEVEN-STEP PRIMER By Gwydion Suilebhan There’s something about technology—let’s admit it—that feels a bit alien to many of us who work at arts organizations. We don’t want to think about what’s involved in making our email work, or keeping our subscriber databases uncorrupted, or ensuring that the phone
Yet Another Ultimatum In Louisville
Fri, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
UPDATES: 10:40am CT, Musicians Reject Offer | 11:00am CT, Management’s “Final” offer letter leaked – According to an article by Elizabeth Kramer in the 10/20/2011 of the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Louisville Orchestra (LO) has issued one more variation in a string of “final” offers to its musicians for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Based
The Cost Of Ownership
Thu, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
One of the aspects I don’t write about much is the consulting work performed on both sides of the management/musician fence with individual overscale contracts. It is actually fascinating work, right from the biggest budget principal contracts through the smaller budget groups. So when the folks at the Strad contacted me to ask if I
Is Philly Still Competitive? Let's Examine Some Numbers
Wed, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
Among the largest budget orchestras, one of the most competitive issues is the ability to attract and retain the very best talent and perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the primary components in that equation is base wages. So I thought it would be helpful to take a look at what sort of impact the recent Philadelphia
Your Website Is Ugly!
Tue, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
Maybe your website is ugly, maybe it isn’t but today’s title is actually the title of the National Arts Marketing Project Conference session that is the brainchild of Ceci Dadisman, Palm Beach Opera Director of Marketing & PR. In addition to my other activities at the conference, I’m honored to have been asked to sit
Caught Between A Rock And A Compromise
Mon, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
It’s an orchestra manager’s nightmare: when internal factions go to war over artistic issues and when it comes to a topic that’s sure to spark emotion in the office, it’s artistic control. Everyone wants to have dominant control over what’s performed and more often than not, front line managers get caught in the cross fire.
What A Week
Fri, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
It’s been an eventful week and much of the news covers everything from dark to light. So let’s see about getting caught up by starting on the east coast and work our way out west.
Just In Case You Thought They Were Bluffing
Thu, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
(UPDATE 3:18pm CT – agreement has been ratified) Details from the proposed, and confidential, master agreement between the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) and their musicians are starting to leak to the surface. One of the items with the greatest impact for fallout is whether or not the POA remains in the American Federation of Musicians
The Latest Report From Captain Obvious
Wed, Oct 10, 2011
by Drew McManus
The 10/10/2011 edition of the Huffington Post published an article by Brett Zongker titled Arts Funding Is Supporting A Wealthy, White Audience: Report that focuses on a recent report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). The article is already making the usual social media rounds but it’s surprising to see it get so
