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

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Top Challenges Presenters Reported Facing

Survey results show the following issues are most urgent for presenters right now:

  1. Challenges with subscription/ticket sales - 72.9%

  2. Overwhelm & burnout - 48.6%

  3. Staffing shortages & hiring challenges - 35.7%

  4. Reduction in donor support - 24.3%

  5. Reduction in grant support - 21.4%

  6. On-boarding & training staff - 17.1%

  7. Artists not offering programs that align with my programming needs - 11.4%

  8. 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.”

A woman with red hair wearing a blue floral gown sitting on a gray sofa, holding a violin on her lap, in front of a bright window with white curtains.
A man in a suit holding a clarinet outdoors with a wooden shed in the background.
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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.

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Three musicians performing on stage with a grand piano; a woman playing violin, a man playing cello, and another man playing piano, in a wooden concert hall with large windows.

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.

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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.

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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.”

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Thanks from all of us at MKI for sharing your experience and expertise!

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  • A smiling man with short dark hair, glasses, wearing a dark blue suit and light blue dress shirt, standing in front of a red brick wall.

    John Zion

    MANAGING DIRECTOR

  • A woman with short brown hair and glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a light pink blouse with lace details on the shoulders.

    Katie Backus

    ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE
    EAST COAST

  • A man with short hair, wearing a black turtleneck and blazer, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

    Jarvis Benson

    ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE

    WEST COAST

  • A woman with long brown hair and a bright smile, wearing a yellow top and earrings, standing against a plain background.

    Laura Dunaway

    ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING REPRESENTATIVE
    MIDWEST & ORCHESTRAS

  • A woman with dark skin and styled hair in an updo, wearing earrings and a black top with geometric jewelry, against a white background.

    Juliette Jones

    ARTIST MANAGER & BOOKING AGENT
    WEST COAST

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing hoop earrings and a denim jacket, standing against a red brick wall.

    Elizabeth Kilpatrick

    Artist Liaison

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with long, wavy red hair and blue eyes, wearing a green top, in front of a neutral background.

    Brooke Quiggins-Saulnier

    Director of Operations

  • A woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and blue eyes smiling at the camera, wearing a gray T-shirt and a mustard yellow cardigan, standing in front of a white wall.

    Rachel Sokolow

    Artist Manager & Special Projects