Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house. I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why. In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu. For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

Favorite Quotes During This Time Of Taxation

Tuesday, February 10th, 2004 by Drew McManus

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 …

Reader Response: Reduced Ticket Pricing

Saturday, February 7th, 2004 by Drew McManus

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 …

A Good Idea Is A Good Idea

Friday, February 6th, 2004 by Drew McManus

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 …

Technology Wrap Up: Resistance Is Futile

Thursday, February 5th, 2004 by Drew McManus

Is technology really a worthwhile investment for an orchestra? Even with the potential savings in reduced operating costs and creating more efficient rehearsals, you still have to lay out some initial cash to realize that potential. And if you talk to many orchestra managers these days, they probably aren’t excited about the idea of spending their ever-shrinking operating revenue on “new” ideas that will turn the way they work upside down. …

It Must Be A British Thing

Wednesday, February 4th, 2004 by Drew McManus

In a move away from the typical heavy duty management topics usually discussed in this web log, I offer the following: While reading the article linked in Arts Journal’s main page yesterday about organists in the UK spicing up church services by working funny little tunes into the regular liturgical selections, I was reminded of a wedding I attended here in the U.S. a few years ago. The groom was British, …