Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Ignorance Is Bliss (not to mention value added)

Thu, Mar 3, 2014
My blogging colleague, Joe Patti, posted an intriguing article on 3/4/2014 about his surprise over the job description for the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) deputy director opening; in particular, he was taken aback by the lack of arts-centric requirements. At the same time, Patti defines his working relationship with OAC as top notch and acknowledged

And We Would Have Gotten Away With It Too, If It Weren’t For You Meddling Patrons

Wed, Mar 3, 2014
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Regular readers know that the extended concert experience is a frequent topic here at Adaptistration but rarely does the topic intersect collective bargaining agreement negotiations. As it turns out, we were treated to one of those unusual occurrences last week from Bloomberg’s Manuela Hoelterhoff who delivered a journalistic spanking to the Metropolitan Opera (The Met)

Would You Post Ticket Fees At The Start Of The Buying Process?

Tue, Mar 3, 2014
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A big H/T to Thomas Cott for pointing out an article by Harriet Meyer in the 1/30/2014 edition of The Guardian that I would have otherwise missed about UK ticket agencies agreeing, albeit after a great deal of pressure, to show the related fee structure at the onset of the ticket buying process. According to

No Decision On Henson

Mon, Mar 3, 2014
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It is difficult to imagine a clearer sign that the dysfunction within the Minnesota Orchestra Association’s (MOA) board is far from over and the reported divisiveness, not to mention resulting inaction, over whether or not to retain President and CEO Michael Henson is about as dire of an omen one could imagine at this point.

Time To Man Up

Fri, Feb 2, 2014
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We’re going to continue taking a cue from public radio with another variation on their more successful pledge drive themes, as defined by June Thomas’ excellent 2009 article in Slate Magazine on the topic of public radio pledge drives, to help promote the Orchestra 990 Database Project’s Kickstarter campaign. Today’s Appeal Is About Gallantry: Time To Man Up

Giving Program Pick For February, 2014: The Rest Is Noise

Thu, Feb 2, 2014
This month’s Giving Program pick is the always popular blog from the ever-sharp king of classical music culture, Alex Ross. His blog, The Rest Is Noise, is arguably the most popular culture blog around and it doesn’t take much to realize why. Granted, you might find his publishing platform a bit too austere for its

Compared To US Peers, Canadian Orchestras Have Better Substitute Pay Rate Parity

Wed, Feb 2, 2014
Canadian vs US parity
Following up on yesterday’s article about substitute musician pay rate disparity among US orchestras, I thought it would be interesting to see if there were any differences in how Canadian orchestras approach the issue; and based on the data, it appears there’s quite a bit of difference. Just over two thirds of Canadian symphonic orchestras

The Data Behind Substitute Pay Rates

Tue, Feb 2, 2014
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Throughout the series of posts about the substitute musician pay disparity at the Minnesota Orchestra Association there were a number of reader comments asserting anecdotal evidence over how common the practice was among professional orchestras. Since then, I’ve taken the time to evaluate the data and have uncovered some fascinating information. Before diving into the

Another 10 Year Anniversary & Muñoz Gets Phoenix

Mon, Feb 2, 2014
I want to take a moment to highlight the 10 year anniversary for Joe Patti’s excellent culture blog, Butts In The Seats; Musings on Practical Solutions For Arts Management. I was enormously pleased when Joe decided to include his blog among the Inside The Arts ranks and with nearly 1,500 posts it is one of

Become Your Own Gatekeeper

Fri, Feb 2, 2014
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We’re going to take a cue for public radio today and perform a few variations on their more successful pledge drive themes to help promote the Orchestra 990 Database Project’s Kickstarter campaign. I’m a big believer in self-identification and there’s no single way to universally appeal to a mass audience; instead, focusing on a multi-approach
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