Audience Development and the dumbing down for new audiences

Today I happened to come across this article:

The Lesson Of Britten’s ‘War Requiem’: Don’t Underestimate Younger Audiences

Basically, this article talks about how an instructor gave her students a challenging piece of music to listen to, Britten’s “War Requiem,” but found ways that the kids could relate to it so they could find meaning while they listened.  With these extra tools, tools to relate, the kids could understand, listen openly and ask  pertinent questions. They came up with well formulated comments that related to their own lives and to current events in our world.

Are these simply amazing kids or is this teacher on to something incredible?

These kids are amazing, however, the teacher was able to connect the kids to the music by finding ways they could relate, which we all can do.  It reminds me of the time I was at the National Performing Arts Convention a few years back, and I stumbled upon an Indian dance group that was performing.  This group told us stories about the dances before performing so the audience could relate to the dance and the music.  I had never seen this form of dance close and personal before, and I was delighted!  It was new to me, but I could relate since this group went the extra mile and helped me to understand through their stories.

Mainly, when it comes to reaching out to new audiences, I see attempts to dumb down the content in easy to swallow pieces.  Familiar plays, music and dance programming is starting to breed contempt.  The same old same old is being advised to hook new audiences, but from the above examples, there really isn’t a need to dumb down at all.  New audiences can enjoy new offerings if we find ways they can relate.

Of course, finding ways they can relate takes more time and effort.  It took time and effort for the teacher to come up with scenarios the kids could relate to, and it took time and effort for the dance group to find the right stories to tell their audience.  The time and effort are worth it due to this main fact- with finding ways your audience can relate, you are finding ways they can experience the joys and passions of your art, the basic reasons why your art matters in our world and how it can matter to them personally.

Audience development is about building relationships with people, but in this sense, it is also about helping your audiences, new and old, to build relationships with your art.   Dumbing down to me means that you were too lazy to go the extra mile to find ways your audience can relate to all kinds of offerings.   There is an opportunity to do better!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”

~James Stewart

Audience Development and Classical Music concerts for newbies

I had a major thought today after reading another article about a symphony performing a free classical music concert mainly for audience development purposes.  The repertoire selected was the same old type of list: Barber of Seville, some poppy selections from South Pacific, some light operetta favorites.  Throw in pieces from Fantasia and it’s a wrap!

I agree that it is nice to choose pieces that might be familiar to people in order to get them interested in classical music.  However, if they are truly newbies to art music, go ahead and program an accessible newer piece!  Here’s my story:

I had invited a friend to a wind ensemble concert.  She had never heard a wind ensemble.  She said she was willing to give it a try.  She was familiar with a few pieces on the program, but the one she really liked was something she never heard before.  She ended up enjoying the concert mainly because of this piece.  My friend came with an open mind so it really didn’t matter if the selections were familiar, only that they were quality music performed well.

From this example, if a person truly is open and new to hearing classical music, then they will be open to hearing anything!  It’s similar to when someone hears classical music out of context, let’s say on a commercial, and they end up noticing and really digging the music.

The point is, we have an opportunity to play new music for new audiences!  We don’t have to keep performing the same, although pleasant, “gateway” pieces.  We can throw in an accessible newer piece too.  I caution with “accessible” since something outside of a new ear comfort zone could be a complete turn off.  There are pieces out there that can fit nicely into an audience development concert, even if it is for kids.

I hope the composers out there are jumping up and down.  This is an opportunity for you too.  What would you compose if faced with the challenge of creating for a brand new classical music audience?

Perhaps you might still fear the fact that if the music is unfamiliar, this new audience may not like the program.  Please do consider though that if it is truly a new experience, these people are open and ready to receive the best of what you can offer them, no matter what century the music comes from.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”

~James Stewart

Big announcement for Audience Development for the Arts!

I have been missing in action the past week in order to work on a project near and dear to my heart.  I have been seeing a need for an audience development for the arts conference,  a place to actually learn a few of the ins and outs while being able to exchange ideas with one’s peers.  I have been to many other events where people end up saying “We really need to learn about audience development.”  Now instead of talking about the need, here is your chance to learn!

Today I am unveiling the Audience Development for the Arts Symposium which will take place on May 14th in Chicago at the Catalyst Ranch.  From 8am – 4:30pm, there is a full day of quick presentations with Q&A sessions, and an hour for talking amongst your peers to brainstorm even more.  We have speakers from across the country with varying backgrounds and involvement in the arts.  We have people from the 4 main disciplines – music, dance, theatre and visual art.

On Friday and Saturday night, we will be inviting you to a fun event.  Chicago is fantastic for the arts as you probably know already.

I hope you will consider joining us at the Audience Development for the Arts Symposium for our inaugural year.  All the details are waiting for you on the website.

For future blogs, tomorrow we will be having our first guest blogger.  On Friday, I will be unleashing my blog about out of the box fund raisers, a request from my twitter friends.

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of your day!

-Shoshana

Audience Development Specialists

Audience development and pricing

I have been seeing a great deal of discussion on pricing in terms of outreaching to build an audience.  Dynamic pricing has been discussed (think airline pricing with prices being lower with earlier purchase).  Also, Groupons or Living Social, or coupon sales have been discussed.  Both options can build “butts in seats,” but do they build “people in seats” or a loyal audience for your art/organization?  Maybe, maybe not.

I’ve decided to play devil’s advocate in this blog to see the other viewpoint of this conversation:

Here’s the “deal!” Lowering price is  a technique to get people interested.  It is an incentive for them to purchase, perfect for people on the fence since it nudges them to the side of buying.  However, these discounts can give the wrong message to your potential audience.

1. It can send a message that you are not worth more than these discounted prices.  Your audience might get used to these pricing points.  In attempts to raise the price to more normal levels, you might not see a “return” on your discount investment.  This factor could be accommodated by only having these special deals at rare occasions, but these audience members may become savvy and wait until the sale happens instead. In this case, you may see a return, but at the continued discount prices.  It’s definitely a gamble.  Can you ultimately afford this?
2. If there is no follow up involved, there is no guarantee that these deal buyers will turn into loyal audience members. Using discount methods may get people in the door, but it does not guarantee them coming back.
3. Deep discounts could send the wrong message that you can afford selling at these prices.  I understand that there could be an argument that you can’t afford not to sell at these prices to get “butts in seats” with the potential to convert, but I guess it all depends on your bottom line.  In my opinion, there are ways to sell the value of your art/organization without deep discounts.  If people see the value, they will purchase at a regular price.  I can’t be the only one willing to go out of my way or purchase at a higher price if the quality and value are there.  If you really want something, you will pay the price.  Maybe we need to focus on people wanting the arts experience more instead of pricing less.
4. Discounted prices can be a signal that you may not need extra support.  As I mentioned in a conversation, one of my patrons asked about our discounted subscription: “Why are you discounting? Don’t you need the money?”  Discounts can cause this confusion. Plus, people view their ticket purchase as a means to supporting the art/organization.  If you ask for a donation on top of this discounted amount to supplement, they may simply say they already purchased tickets.  You will then be out the difference of the discounted price vs. regular price, and out the donation amount since the perception has now shifted.In more consideration to these conversations, perhaps adding the choice of not discounting and paying regular price could give loyal patrons the opportunity to be  loyal, which will give you the option of being open and honest in communicating that you need the continued support.
5. Groupon and Living Social may be popular methods, but as a nonprofit arts manager, I would look for other ways to get the word out about discounts so you don’t have to split your revenue.  Getting less than 50% of the value of a ticket doesn’t sit well with me or with most nonprofit budgets.  With ticket purchases averaging only 30-40% of  income, can you really afford to give so much away?  Shouldn’t you be figuring out ways to increase this percentage instead of lowering it?  Unless the shear volume of purchase compensates for the lowered revenue, I would look into other avenues that may cost considerably less.  Of course you need to look into the quantity vs. quality issue too.  More purchases may not equal a quality audience.

I understand the need to get people in the door, but I also see that starting people off with a discount may be setting ourselves up for some rude awakenings.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons that building loyalty has been tricky.  I guess it can be a means of sifting out who will become more loyal patrons and who are simply there for the discount if follow up occurs, but it can also mean that you are sending out the message that the arts are not worth more than a vastly discounted price, lowering the value of the arts along with continued lowered monetary support.

The only way discounts first as a method can work in the long run  is if you can convert these discount buyers to see the full value of your art.  If they see the value, then maybe they will be willing to pay full price in the future.  Are we implementing programs to make sure this conversion happens?

However, on a further limb,  discount pricing to build an audience, in my opinion, should be used more as a last resort and not as a first resort.  I tend to discount towards the end if seats still need to be sold. The audience that is loyal will purchase at the regular price.  The audience that sees the value will too.  The audience that is on the fence will buy based on the later discount.  You might be shooting yourselves in the foot if the discount is sooner rather than later.  The loyals may purchase at the discounted price since they tend to purchase sooner than later, costing you the difference.

In some ways, inviting them for free may be better since they will know that this won’t last and regular pricing is going to happen.

Lastly, without audience development, nothing will be developed except lowered value in the end.  Have you honestly tried audience development?  I know when I switched to audience development and fair valued pricing, I found myself with a bigger and better (quality) audience.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
Facebook/twitter /E-mazing Newsletter /Blog

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Workshops are available!

Does your arts organization or artists group need some new energy?  Our workshops can generate enthusiasm for audience development.

Contact us for more information!

Hourly Phone Sessions – Do you have a question about audience development or need feedback or advice on a project or challenge?  ADS can help!

Donate to the Audience Development Specialists Grant Fund!

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Audience development – In a Friday YouTube mood

Today being Friday, I wanted to add some fun to my work day.  Searching for YouTubes that feature the creative arts is a great way to get inspired.  Plus, the YouTube presentations are good examples to use for audience development.  Please feel free to enjoy the following and happy weekend to all!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
Facebook/twitter /E-mazing Newsletter /Blog

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

New Services!

Hourly Phone Sessions – Do you have a question about audience development or need feedback or advice on a project or challenge?  ADS can help!

Donate to the Audience Development Specialists Grant Fund!

YouTube Gallery – Do you have an amazing way you use YouTube to promote your art?  Let ADS know, and you might see your YouTube highlighted on our new gallery!

Arts business structure and audience development…an evolution!

I had the pleasure of meeting in person one of my twitter friends, Misha Penton, during her visit to Boulder, CO this week.  Misha is a mezzo soprano from Houston, TX that formed her own “Opera, Classical Vocal Music & Multidisciplinary Performance Arts” ensemble company. This mouthful became Divergence Vocal Theater.

After many tweeted conversations about audience development, Misha informed me that her company is not a non-profit, but functions on a project by project basis under the fiscal agent The Field in New York.  The Field is:

Founded by artists for artists, The Field has been dedicated to providing impactful services to thousands of performing artists in New York City and beyond since 1986. From fostering creative exploration to stewarding innovative fundraising strategies, we are delighted to help artists reach their fullest potential.

I have been seeing similar agencies and formats around the country being created to help artists meet their needs without them having to incorporate.  We in Boulder have our Boulder County Arts Alliance.

During our dinner conversation, we began discussing the typical non-profit business structure. There were specific questions that came up:

1. Is this structure resilient enough to meet the challenges of our current modern world?
2. Does the larger non-profit structure create a barrier between artists and audience?
3. Is there too much “red tape” involved for every decision to be made?
4. And, is there too much talk and not enough action in a non-profit structure?
5. Does the non-profit business structure need to evolve?
6. Is the non-profit structure comfortable for the new generations (GenX and GenY)?

Misha admitted how easy it is to implement new ideas and engage with her audience without having to consult a board every time they wanted a new idea to be brought to light.   With having a fiscal agent, she was still able to do the standard fund raising necessary for her projects.  She contracts the ensemble members for each project.  Each project can be what it wants to be.  Collaborations can be formed easily.  It sounds like this could be a very viable way for artists to function.  However, there was one drawback mentioned.  Certain funding foundations do not recognize this hybrid business structure as worthy for funding.  They require non-profit status or they require the agent to be in state.

The arts world is exploring new business structures.  What is making me sit up and take notice is the fact that these new ventures make audience development more central to their strategic plans.  They have to work with their audience and build relationships to be successful, and the very structure itself gives artists the ability and opportunity to be artists with the audience instead of simply in front of the audience.

In relation to audience development, these artists are also branching out venue wise, embracing social media technology, and interacting with their audience in fascinating ways.  They are blazing new trails in a blink of an eye.  The majority are smaller ensemble organizations that are more mobile and have the ability to be more one-on-one with their fans.  Misha and I likened this structure to how bands are currently functioning and promoting themselves.  Could it then be possible for these artists to obtain followings that could potentially catapult them into “rock star” status?  The arts world could certainly use this type of recognition.  Right now these artists and projects are being covered in the news and spread around the internet (very buzz worthy). Obtaining an audience seems to become easier and easier over time for these artists.

Perhaps the arts world in general needs to evolve or continue to explore the current evolution that is in process as a community. Perhaps we need to begin advocating for more support of these independent yet collaborative artists to obtain equal grounds for  funding.

I did mention that certain organizations do need the non-profit structure, and it can work quite well if properly managed, but one-size business structure does not fit all, and it would be good if we as a community would support and embrace these branch outs and jump on the evolution band wagon.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
Facebook/twitter /E-mazing Newsletter /Blog

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

New Services!

Hourly Phone Sessions – Do you have a question about audience development or need feedback or advice on a project or challenge?  ADS can help!  Special: $25/hour through the month of April.

Donate to the Audience Development Specialists Grant Fund!

YouTube Gallery – Do you have an amazing way you use YouTube to promote your art?  Let ADS know, and you might see your YouTube highlighted on our new gallery!

The 4 P’s of audience development

I have discussed the 4 C’s of audience development: Community, Connection, Collaboration and Caring.  It’s time now for the 4P’s of audience development…

It’s been an exciting few days of discussion about audience development and issues involving our audience.  Alex Ross’ lecture Inventing and Reinventing the Classical Concert for the Royal Philharmonic Society is creating quite a buzz.  From his lecture:

“In the eighteenth century listeners often burst into applause while the music was playing, much as patrons in jazz clubs do today.  The practice seems to have died out in the course of the nineteenth century, although audiences almost always applauded after movements of large-scale works.  Then, in the early years of the twentieth century, the idea took root that one should remain resolutely silent throughout a multi-movement piece. By imposing such a code, we may inadvertently be confining the enormous and diverse expressive energies that are contained within the classics of the repertory. The work itself should dictate our behaviour, not some hard-and-fast code of etiquette.”

Clef Notes responded with  To clap or not clap; Alex Ross looks at the concert-going experience and John Terauds followed with Alex Ross tells Royal Philharmonic Society that enjoying classical music not about following rules, but about passion on stage.

I also came across two blogs that were discussing the 4 P’s of marketing and how we may need to focus on changing the “product” in order to woo a younger audience.  Chad Bauman chimed in with The Truth About Attracting Younger Audiences. The Clyde Fitch Report responded with a blog on A Vision: Arena Stage Permitting Tweeting During Performances.

The point to all of this wonderful conversation seems to be the beginning  (or a continuation which hasn’t been heard until now) of an outcry to defend the audiences’ wishes and desires.  The world is evolving, which means that audiences are evolving too.  There was a time when we accepted being silent and in the dark in terms of an art experience.  We learned the proper etiquette. We were expected to be quiet.  The question I raise now: is the audience wanting to remain in the confines of the social norms that were set in stone centuries ago?  In view of people in general becoming more socially active, participatory, hands-on, self-creators, stifling the audiences’ wishes and desires is probably not the answer to building a more diverse audience.

This finally brings me  to the title of this blog – The 4 P’s of audience development.  The 4 P’s can set us on a new adventure toward building better relationships with our audiences.   So, what are the 4 P’s of audience development?

1. Presentation – I had commented on a few of the blogs aforementioned with the response that we don’t necessarily have to change product, price, place, or promotion, but maybe we can look at changing presentation (which can be considered an aspect of two of the marketing 4 p’s, product and  place).  Changes in presentation, such as adding social elements, ways for the audience to participate (tweeting, voting, clapping), or simply making a more casual or inviting atmosphere for all audience members, has made a big difference between empty auditoriums and selling out a house.  Not to mention the buzz factor that is created with each new and innovative idea to be tested.  The content or repertoire does not need to be changed as much as how or perhaps where the content is presented.

2. Participation – It can be a big part of the presentation, and you will soon realize that all 4 P’s of audience development are interconnected. One of the main issues to all of these discussions is: what can we do to create more opportunities for the audience to participate?  The audience of today wants to be involved, active, part of the fun.  If we do not create, or dare we say allow more audience participation, the audience will take their money and enthusiasm to art forms that do let them be themselves.

3. People – Let’s face it, people make up the art and the audience.  The key is to find the right people that jive with your art and who will become more involved with your art.  It’s people that produce, promote, participate, are pro-active, well, you get the idea.  Building relationships with people is what is going to build your audience and the support around your art form. In order to build relationships with our audience members, it is advised that we listen to them.  Of course there will need to be a balance between what the artist desires to create and what the audience wants to spend their time and money on, but the point is that both the artist and the audience should be a part of the process.

4. Plunge! - Audience development takes a certain amount of courage. As you may remember, courage is the 5th C of audience development.  It may take some experimenting, testing of new ideas, and getting creative in order to discover the best ways to format a balance between artist and audience.  Tweeting may be distracting to some of the audience, but to others, it is a way of participating and communicating in the experience.  So perhaps, have “tweet boxes” or areas that allow these people to tweet without disturbing the people that don’t tweet.  Or, take the plunge with another interesting idea that will generate buzz and ticket sales.  Some of the responses to attempting new ideas has been fear of the new overtaking the tradition.  The responses back are, you better take the plunge or there won’t be any tradition left.  I feel we can still celebrate tradition in the face of change.  Or perhaps it would be good to change our definition of tradition.  For example, Alex Ross and the others were commenting that the applause needs to work with the music, not against it, and Ross brought up the fact that in the 18th century, the tradition was for the audience to applaud when they felt impassioned to.  So then, what really is the tradition?  Is tradition just the standards of the day?  And if the standards were changed in the 19th century, why can’t they be changed again to form new traditions for the 21st century?

I admit, my thoughts are simply a drop in the bucket, and there needs to be many more discussions.   I am glad we have opened this can of worms that was just waiting to be opened.  The 4 P’s of audience development can be a means to discovering new audience traditions, to building better audiences, to implementing new ways of presenting art in general.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
Facebook/twitter /E-mazing Newsletter /Blog

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

The 2009 Audience Development Specialists Tweets Awards!

It’s Friday, and it’s time to announce the winners for all the categories of  The 2009 Audience Development Specialists Tweets Awards!

Most Interesting Venues
The nominees are:

• Keeping artists in the Loop Creative Showcase | Pop-Up Art program turns vacant buildings into galleries http://bit.ly/4DVbs8
  The Chicago Loop Alliance plays matchmaker with artists and landlords to beautify the vacant spaces with art.

• Worth a repeat mention…Chiara String Quartet to Hit the Bar This Thursday http://bit.ly/8zvB3A
  The Chiara String Quartet performs in bars.

• Audience development genius of the day…I think…Vending machine that dispenses art unveiled in Chandler http://bit.ly/582hG5
  Vision Gallery in Chandler (Arizona) unveils its newest installation, the Art-O-Mat, a vending machine that dispenses original art.

• RT @ChicagoOpera In the cosmetics section of this Michigan Ave dept. store-with a red star in their logo– #popupopera

  http://bit.ly/7a0n1U

  Chicago Opera Theater during National Opera Week – free short performances of opera “favorites” in unexpected places in Chicago.

• Cool idea…See your art on the side of an Asheville bus http://bit.ly/6RORxe
  The City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department announces a juried public art competition for the first Art on Transit Bus Graphics Program.

• Audience development genius of the day! Been a while since we had one!…Changing the World of Classical Music http://bit.ly/Wco7w
  “Music Director/Conductor John Stubbs of California Ballet has created an extraordinary multi-media performance experience where live classical music, dance, and film converge for one special evening in San Diego’s most exciting music and dining venue — Anthology supper club in Little Italy.”

Tweeples choice award for Most Interesting Venue of 2009 goes to: The Chicago Loop Alliance

ADS Award goes to: Chiara String Quartet.  My feeling is, that in order for the arts to be more accessible to younger generations, we need to start performing where these people gather.  Bringing classical music to a bar setting is a great idea, and something that was new to me.

Best Use of Mainstream
The nominees are:

• ‘Star Wars: In Concert’: a coda with Yoda http://bit.ly/625Jsq

• Lively & Looney Pop entertainment crosses over with classical fare in Bugs Bunny on Broadway http://bit.ly/Bv8xh

• Audience Development genius of the day: Chicago Museum of Science and Industry “Harry Potter” works wonders http://tinyurl.com/lq6skk

The ADS Award goes to: Star Wars: In Concert’: a coda with Yoda!  From L.A. to Chicago, this concert gave the GenX generation a chance to share with their children the joy of Star Wars and the joy of the orchestra all at the same time.  In our constant pursuit of getting GenX more involved, this was a great idea.

Best Arts Advocate
The nominees are:

• (Gustavo Dudamel) In case you missed this :O)…Hollywood Swoons Over That Hair, That Baton http://bit.ly/1lXiQM

• (The Obamas) CAPITAL CULTURE: Obamas big on White House gigs http://bit.ly/JdFGh

• (Michael Kaiser) Kennedy Center chief  says great art is key to weathering crisis http://bit.ly/35eWF

The ADS Award goes to: Michael Kaiser.  It seemed like there wasn’t a week that went by where Kaiser was not in the papers.  Traveling from city to city to spread his word on how to save the arts from crisis, he also brought awareness of the arts to many that weren’t aware before.  Although I am still waiting for the documentary and the book, we at least had his blog posts at the Huffington Post to guide us regularly with his thoughts.

Best Use of Technology and Social Media
The nominees are:

• RT @atlantasymphony We’re LIVE! Wynton Marsalis & Ken Meltzer discuss the ‘marriage of jazz and classical music’. http://is.gd/4YkJw
• Nexto to Normal’ uses Twitter to build audiences http://bit.ly/2Sfq0W
• The San Francisco Opera recently sought to engage a younger audience by offering free simulcasts in a baseball stadium.
• Audience development genius of the day! RT @greenchildren Our new Facebook application! http://apps.facebook.com/hearmenow/
• Audience Development genius of the day: http://www.cliburn.tv/ you can watch the competition live online! I’m excited!
• Audience Development Genius of the Day! RT @DenverCenter “10 Minutes to Curtain” came out yesterday. Silly Charlie: http://bit.ly/NAoXJ
• YouTube Symphony strikes again…great audience development! http://tinyurl.com/ceqz2d
• @_SanDiegoOpera #operahistory

The ADS award goes to: drum roll please, The Atlanta Symphony for their live Ustream discussion with Wynton Marsalis and Ken Meltzer.  This was one of the best representations of the use of new technology and social media rolled up into one, and there were a plethora of other audience development goodies too.  Here is the top 10 list of reasons why I chose this particular idea:

Audience Participation
The nominees are:

• Fabulous! @davidsrebnik Vote for your favorite new piece. Last chance today: Digital- Composer-in-Residence http://tinyurl.com/yhyvtyk

• Audience development genius of the day – Audience plays ‘Bingo’ right along with the cast http://bit.ly/1EMb1I

• Audience participation! …Oleanna Will Allow Audiences to “Take a Side” Following Broadway Previews http://bit.ly/16Ibkb

• This could be genus of the day…Tony Winner Jbara Hosts Kids’ Night on Broadway ‘Town Hall Meeting’ Event 9/15 http://bit.ly/pcyct

• Audience development genius of the day: http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/ – Chicago Shakespeare Theater

• “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer” host rings up big role http://bit.ly/hLuUQ – Seattle Opera

• How did I miss this link? I’m voting! RT @cincinnatiopera We are at exactly 5,000 Opera Idol votes! http://ow.ly/griC

• SF Ballet Magical Memories Nutcracker Video Contest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2hD2u9fX0
  

The ADS Award goes to: Cincinnati Opera for their Opera Idol!  From their website: “Cincinnati Opera launched Opera Idol™, the company’s search for the next great opera star, in June 2009. ­More than 160 amateur singers turned out for an open audition before a panel of professional judges. Through multiple rounds of voti­ng, six finalists were chosen. Videos of those finalists in performance were posted on the Cincinnati Opera website, and the public was invited to view the videos and vote for their favorite, for which over 10­,000 total votes were cast.”

I was extremely impressed with the results and how streamlined this idea was.  There was audience participation with the opera hopefuls, 160 of them,  and with the general audience, 10,000 votes casted via YouTubes and the ability to vote at their website.  This audience participation covered all the bases for getting people involved!

Best Collaborations
The nominees are:

• Another way to collaborate with your library! … Listen to past City Arts & Lectures programs http://bit.ly/V40LN

• Interesting collaboration! …The Harley-Davidson Museum and MIAD Partner to Retool the Art and Design of Helmets http://bit.ly/1xKAvc

• Collaboration galas – great idea!!! Especially if you have a crosslist of donors. Costs are shared http://bit.ly/MvCYg

• Check out a culture pass at the library – audience development genius of the day: http://tinyurl.com/d8ox4c

• Atlanta Art à la Carte offers family performance discounts http://bit.ly/3dA9iV

The ADS Award goes to: Atlanta Art à la Carte – “a new partnership among Atlanta arts organizations lets audiences create their own subscription from a mix of family performances. With this program, families can get a lower-cost look at different organization’s offerings without singing up for a membership.”  In a time where getting families and the younger generation more involved with the arts, this is a great collaborative idea that can be a win-win situation for all involved.  Getting families to sample what your city has to offer is fantastic!

Best Festivals
The nominees are:

• When it comes to music, just remember the passion…Columbia University 10-day classical music and opera binge http://bit.ly/1m6rzf

• I call it enthusiasm…Kennedy Center president says ArtPrize has built what non-profit arts needs: Excitement http://bit.ly/4Gb9t

• Still hoping that there will be more of these types of events happening – ‘Culture Olympics’ open in South Korea http://bit.ly/X0irm

The ADS Award goes to: ArtPrize – this festival had the arts world buzzing.  Artists from around the world participated, they had an entire community get involved with the venue match-up for the artists, the ability to vote, and all of the social aspects through social media and local networking events were fabulously engaging, and they awarded big prizes to the winners.  Rick Devos and Jeffrey Meeuwsen of Grand Rapids, Michigan had a great idea, made it a reality, and the world was watching.

Best Use of Going Informal
The nominees are:

• Love it! @palmbeachopera open mojito, prosecco, and wine bar with hor’s doeuvre by a celebrity chef for $25 http://bit.ly/3TXnkr

• New, informal Cleveland Orchestra series packs the house http://bit.ly/kTdPI

• Art gallery, nightclub vibe emerges at theater http://bit.ly/1RgNHM

The ADS award goes to: The Cleveland Orchestra for their new informal series.  From the article: “Was it the earlier start? The informal dress of the players? The short, all-Beethoven program? Or was it the prospect of a post-concert reception and appearance by world percussion ensemble Beat the Donkey?”  Seeing that this series is selling out, perhaps the classical music world really does need to relax a little, take their bow ties off once in a while, and really jam with the audience before, during, and after the show!

Best New Programs
The nominees are:

• Been waiting for someone to try this! RT @HouGrandOpera Going to the opera alone? Join the HGO Meet-up group! http://bit.ly/J1Vy8

• Act Theatre goes for ‘Netflix’ payment option http://bit.ly/gjOBm

• Audience Development Genius of the day! “Internship: Summer Family Programs Volunteer Internship” http://bit.ly/btSveA

• In case you missed this…Bringing ‘Nutcracker’ alive for blind people http://bit.ly/8MPvzI

• Audience development genius of the day: http://tinyurl.com/c7qmr7 chip in to pay for tickets

The ADS award goes to: Art-Reach, “Independence Starts Here,” and the Pennsylvania Ballet for bringing the Nutcracker alive for blind people.  This story really touched my heart.  From the article: “In a dressing room off a hallway to one side of the stage, a woman named Ermyn King will watch a TV monitor beaming the show live from the stage. She’ll wear a headset-microphone and will straightforwardly describe the dancing – how many performers are onstage, what they’re wearing, what they’re doing, how they’re interacting – as well as the scenery, the storyline, even the lighting…Just before the curtain – as in most audio-described shows, including Sunday’s Nutcracker – those using the service were invited onstage for what’s called a ‘touch tour’.”   Making your art accessible to those who never were able to enjoy it before, in my opinion, wins new program of the year!

Best Discussions
The nominees are:

• Seems like a reply from Kaiser to last week’s discussion on catch 22…Are We Forgetting the Mission of the Arts? http://bit.ly/5ArH5d

• Does the price of a ticket keep you from attending classical music concerts? http://bit.ly/7UsGRz

• Disability 101 — Our audience: who is listening? http://bit.ly/9pkdbp

• RT @stagedirections Part of a boo-ed speech from @StolenChairTC: “I don’t want to be a charity.” http://bit.ly/1wz44K

• The arts and change, Oregon Ballet Theatre edition http://bit.ly/n9Sto

• Young audiences and the future of film and tv …Tomorrow’s hit movies won’t rely on stars or studios, film forum told http://bit.ly/am5sN

• The quest to save classical music and opera http://bit.ly/ayuQC

• Very cool conversation – transcript of live discussion for “New Ways for Arts Organizations to Finance Their Operations” http://bit.ly/btxXLm

• He’s not talking about marketing, he’s talking about audience development http://tinyurl.com/d5yfw9

• New Honesty: A symphony telling the public the real facts! …Backstage: Symphony ticket prices in line with other events http://bit.ly/2OngVA

The ADS Award goes to: This was one of the more challenging decisions.  I wish I could choose all of them since I’m excited about all of these discussions.  If you don’t know me yet, I am a big advocate for getting the chat going!  In the end, for choosing only one… New Ways for Arts Organizations to  Finance Their Operations is the winner.  This was a live discussion with various arts organizations of the New York area discussing the majority of issues and solutions surrounding audience development.  I highly recommend reading this discussion and perhaps forming your own arts community discussion involving these same questions.

Best “Arts Make a Difference”
The nominees are:

• Proving once again the arts help local economy! Durham’s arts center earns $400K for city in first eight months http://bit.ly/2wXCy8

• Exciting!…Playing For Change & eTown – Live Show: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009,7:30 pm,Location:Paramount Theatre http://bit.ly/2eSbcn

• The arts heal us! RT @lizajlee 17-year old girl recovers from cancer through art as therapy  one example: http://bit.ly/9JF0U5

• Audience Development genius of the day! Like Art? You’ll Love Our Condos…http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/realestate/10posting.html

• RT@cincinnatiopera @EmcArts @spokanesymphony Arts helped save psyche in Great Depression. http://bit.ly/Bjd8x

• Chester school thrives with focus on the arts http://bit.ly/cnVVjD

The ADS award goes to: Playing for Change.  “Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”  In a world full of distances, it’s nice to see the universal language of music used as a power to unite!

Best Audience Development Quotes
The nominees are:

• “There is a fundamental change happening in our lives. There’s a sense that we have an old way of defining participating in the arts and that the public is redefining what participation means,” Rosen said. “The challenge for us is to see where the public is and engage with them and adapt.” Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras http://bit.ly/4re6E2

• “The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it.  Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation. “
  Michelle Obama http://tinyurl.com/qfvhd2

• “It becomes an active listening experience [for the audience] when you’re allowed to stand up or clap your hands,” Music Director Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra http://bit.ly/5YfguZ

• “We all need the occasional reminder that there is nothing like the power of art to destroy artificial barriers of race and doctrine” ‘Opera Goes to Church’ a moving experience http://bit.ly/4uvL8Y

• Love this quote from the he(art) article: “Art has changed the way I look at things in the world. That change is profound and forever,” Buster Medeiros – Gotta have he(art) A hospital’s painting class places the focus on abilities, not disabilities http://bit.ly/1dK8Xo

• Storytellers enchant audiences http://bit.ly/4wm4rg “The most important part of the story, is the listener’s imagination,” storyteller Beth Horner

• From the Archive: Bronx Street Art “The Bronx may have been burning, and city budgets busted, yet En Foco embraced the idea that the arts were not a luxury, but a necessary part of life — perhaps even more so in tough times. ” http://bit.ly/HaN4j

• “When you look at the realities of audiences, of marketing, of trying to fill a large hall, then it becomes obvious quickly that the best way to reinvest the resources you have is through collaborating with other groups.” Tim Sharp, Artistic Director Tulsa Oratorio Chorus
  http://bit.ly/ZWjf5

• “I filled the house purely based on Facebook,” says da Cunha, one of the founders of Rage Productions.http://tinyurl.com/nk46hc “Mentally, we were all being too lazy. Let’s not market in the traditional way any longer with an advertisement… Students may not get the paper, but they will be on the Internet…We’re mentally starting to seek new ways to get out there because if we continue with the old way of marketing, then we will die,” da Cunha (Rahul da Cunha)

The ADS award goes to: Rahul da Cunha.  Simply put, if we want to see different results and live to see another day, we need to stop with the old way of marketing and begin a new journey of reaching out to our audiences – which is what audience development is all about.

Special mention goes to: the En Foco quote.  It was a quote with  a great deal of heart, and people came here to comment about it.

Best Audience Development Studies
The nominees are:

• Engaging Audiences – Wallace Foundation http://bit.ly/16e7S

• Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a National Survey (June 2009) – NEA http://bit.ly/aEEfly

• State and Regional Differences in Arts Participation: A Geographic Analysis of the 2008 SPPA (December 2009) NEA
  http://bit.ly/8SYh8u
• NYC study links arts, high school graduation http://bit.ly/36xgxP

The ADS Award goes to: Another big challenge for me to choose just one.  To me, any study about audience development is a winner.  If I have to choose just one, it would have to be the Wallace Foundation’s Engaging Audiences. This report presented the challenges and some of the potential solutions to building our audiences. I love reports that state the current statistics, but now more than ever, we need to be current with new and innovative ideas.

Special mention goes to: NEA’s State and Regional Differences in Arts Participation: A Geographic Analysis of the 2008 SPPA (December 2009).  I had the best time looking at all of the facts and figures with many moments of pleasant and unexpected surprises.

So there you have it.  If any of the winners are interested in receiving their official ADS certificate, please feel free to contact me.  Until next year, I’ll be scanning for more of the best Audience Development news to tweet.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
Facebook/twitter /E-mazing Newsletter /Blog

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Friday YouTube kinda mood Part II – example of natural audience development

I’ve been waiting until I was inspired by another YouTube before doing part 2.  Today, a friend of mine posted this Youtube called Sand Dancer on Facebook.  It’s about a sand artist that creates some of the most amazing sand art I have ever seen, and he creates the art for…himself.

Lately I have been reading the book  Art & Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland.  I got a feeling of synchronicity while watching the YouTube since it reminded so much of the comments in this book.  Two major observations from the book that you will see first-hand in the YouTube:

1. Art is best when it is done for yourself.  Art from the heart is the most amazing art of all.  If it is from the heart, for yourself, not for anyone else, the audience will see this and the ones that are meant to be your audience will want to come again.

2. The quality of art matters.  This sand artist could have been just anybody drawing pictures in the sand, but the quality of his art is noticable.  What he is doing is quite different, but if the quality wasn’t there, I don’t think people would take time out to make viewing his art a part of their vacation tour.  The quality of his work is drawing an audience, and it has inspired me to blog about him as well.

Here is the YouTube for your enjoyment.  It’s a dry documentary, but well worth taking 10 minutes out of your day to view.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time, may your audiences be happy and loyal ones, and if they are not, feel free to contact me!

~Shoshana~

Shoshana Fanizza is the founder of Audience Development Specialists. Her mission is to introduce artists and arts organizations to their existing and potential audiences and to help them to form more rewarding relationships.

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

Audience Development Specialists’ Facebook Page! for up-to-date news and information about audience development!
or if you prefer Twitter: http://twitter.com/AudienceDevSpec

Audience Development Blog

Fun with audience development quotes!

I am a big fan of using quotes to add a point or punch to marketing.  Testimonials, quotes from your patrons, are especially good to use in marketing materials.  Adding a touch of your audience is good audience development after all.  Today, I decided to look for some exceptional quotes about “audience” to pack a punch for audience development!  Some days we need to have fun with a light blog and celebrate what others have to say about the importance of an audience:

• “Our strong suit is what we do, and our audience.” – Jerry Garcia

• “I am a real ham. I love an audience. I work better with an audience. I am dead, in fact, without one.” – Lucille Ball
  

• “The appreciative smile, the chuckle, the soundless mirth, so important to the success of comedy cannot be understood unless one sits among the audience and feels the warmth created by the quality of laughter that the audience takes home with it.” – James Thurber

• “Your audience gives you everything you need. They tell you. There is no director who can direct you like an audience .” – Fannie Brice

• “You need three things in the theater – the play, the actors and the audience, – and each must give something” – Kenneth Haigh

And my personal favorite…

• “Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.” – James Stewart
  

Today’s blog is dedicated to all my readers, my audience.  Thank you, it wouldn’t be a real blog without you!

Until next time, may your audiences be happy and loyal ones, and if they are not, feel free to contact me!

~Shoshana~

Shoshana Fanizza is the founder of Audience Development Specialists. Her mission is to introduce artists and arts organizations to their existing and potential audiences and to help them to form more rewarding relationships.

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

Audience Development Specialists’ Facebook Page! for up-to-date news and information about audience development!

Audience Development Blog