Back in September 2022…
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
John Zion
Managing Director, MKI Artists
Current Single Ticket Sales
Current Subscription Sales
Percentage of respondents who answered in each category
Top Challenges Presenters Reported Facing
Survey results show the following issues are most urgent for presenters right now:
Challenges with subscription/ticket sales - 72.9%
Overwhelm & burnout - 48.6%
Staffing shortages & hiring challenges - 35.7%
Reduction in donor support - 24.3%
Reduction in grant support - 21.4%
On-boarding & training staff - 17.1%
Artists not offering programs that align with my programming needs - 11.4%
Executive or board pressure to change programming focus and/or offerings - 8.6%
Challenges with subscription/ticket sales
In the face of these challenges, audiences seem most excited to reconnect with artists they know and love. 87.7% of presenters report that audiences are responding positively to artists who have performed on their series or in their market before and are already known to the audience.
What You Said
“While our audiences are open to artists new to them, attendance is definitely higher for artists that have been on the series before”
“To our audience, familiar works seem especially comforting these days.”
“Familiarity seems to be working the best.”
“We feel audiences make deliberate choices in selecting concerts based on artist familiarity or standard classical rep/composers, instead of thinking "Hey I wonder what's playing at X VENUE tonight. Let's check it out."
“I think that "responding positively" and "resonating" do not always translate to ticket sales, unfortunately. Known quantities are selling the best. But the BEST experiences we've shared with artists this past year (in my opinion), were when the artists and work were NEW.”
Dealing with overwhelm & burnout,
staffing shortages, and hiring challenges
We heard that you were dealing with significant challenges and often having to spend twice the energy to get half the results.
“I appreciate also your asking us to set up a time to chat occasionally.”
“Introduce very targeted prospects that might be of interest to our organization”
“I think communication and transparency from both sides during the programming/negotiation process is super helpful”
Downturn in Grant Support
We know that most granting organizations are now looking to award funding to presenters who prioritize programming featuring diverse artists and repertoire, narrative-driven projects, and that are successful at remaining relevant and speaking to the most critical questions and issues of our time.
“Represent more diverse artists; encourage artists to broaden their repertoire offerings”
“Especially with some older and very established artists, it would be great if managers/agents could impart to them the importance of presenting repertoire that wasn't exclusively written by dead white men!”
Downturn in Donor Support
Donors were incredibly generous at the start of the pandemic and are now facing an economic downturn and challenges that are starting to impact their level of support.
On-boarding & Training Staff
We know there has been a lot of turnover over the past few years, and it can sometimes be intimating to reach out to an agency to explore programming options.
Artists not offering repertoire
that align with my programming needs
We know how many options you have right now and that sometimes in can feel like you’re looking for a needle in the haystack.
Executive or board pressure
to change programming focus and/or offerings
Change is scary.
“It’s not just about what is resonating now but what we artistically feel is important to share with audiences. I personally feel we have a responsibility to show all that classical music is and can be.”
Thanks from all of us at MKI for sharing your experience and expertise!
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John Zion
MANAGING DIRECTOR
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Katie Backus
ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE
EAST COAST -
Jarvis Benson
ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE
WEST COAST
-
Laura Dunaway
ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE
MIDWEST & ORCHESTRAS -
Juliette Jones
ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING AGENT
WEST COAST -
Elizabeth Kilpatrick
Artist Liaison
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Brooke Quiggins-Saulnier
Director of Operations
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Rachel Sokolow
Artist Manager & Special Projects