How Do You Get On The Board?

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In the wake of the Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra board chair resigning due investigations by the SEC, Connie from Columbus wrote in to ask: “How do people get on an orchestra board?” What a great question. The answer has been the subject of numerous books, scholarly papers, and articles for the past century. But before I digress, I’ll do my best to provide an academic answer (special thanks to a few …

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Do you think this is worth $74,425?

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I’ve been digging around orchestra form 990’s at GuideStar lately and I came across what I thought was an unusually high expense under the “Compensation Of The Five Highest Paid Independent Contractors For Professional Services” category in the Phoenix Symphony 2002 return. The Phoenix Symphony paid $74,425 that year to a company called Contact Designs for what the orchestra listed as “website design”.  That’s $8,997 more than what the orchestra paid …

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More About Milwaukee – Marketing Department

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At the conclusion of yesterday’s article, it promised to examine the direction the MSO marketing department is taking since the arrival of their new marketing director, Sean McBryde. In Tom Strini’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article from September 4th, 2004 he reported that the MSO has suffered a big hit in ticket sales since 1999.  According to the article, ” the biggest loss has been on the pops side, 61%. The classics audience …

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I Like What I See In Milwaukee

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Just in case anyone missed the article in the online version of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Tom Strini buried yesterday in the low traffic path of Labor Day, go give it a read. Tom wrote a good article which focuses on the future of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra via interviews with the MSO’s new executive director Mark Hanson and their new marketing director Sean McBryde. Hanson and McBryde take the …

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More Contract Negotiation Extensions

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It appears that the Chicago Symphony now joins Cleveland in extending the deadline for reaching a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement).  Chicago Tribune critic, Wynne Delacoma, reported in today’s issue that talks have been extended through October 31, 2004.  The article also reports that a retired judge has been brought in to mediate the remainder of the bargaining sessions.

I think this is an excellent example of how flexible both musicians and managers can be when it comes to bargaining methods.

There’s always been a great deal of talk in the industry about which bargaining method is best.  Some people swear by traditional methods and others endorse processes such as Interest Based Bargaining.

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