Are the arts about selling tickets to shows or about art? Of course performances and exhibitions don't happen if they don't have money to be produced, but - as evidenced at an arts marketing conference where I recently spoke - the business of selling tickets seems often to determine the measure of success rather than the art. "Art" is a positioning for selling tickets. I'm currently working on … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2016
Is Opera The Real 21st Century Art Form?
A 2015 survey by blogger Mae Mai reported that 260 new opera companies started since 2000 in the United States. There are 80 opera companies now working in New York alone. Over the past couple months the New York Opera Fest showcased many of the New York companies. For the most part, these don't look like your grandpa's operas - just clicking the website confirms that. New opera embraces the … [Read more...]
Attention Deficit Disorder: Our Walled-Garden Problem
As the digital world pummels us with more information and choice, many of us react by walling off the things we simply won't pay attention to. It's a survival strategy. We increasingly define ourselves by the things we choose to pay attention to, and bestowing attention is a form of currency we are reluctant to squander. This is a problem if you're trying to grow an audience. Building a better … [Read more...]