Ticket sales are still lagging below pre-pandemic levels; donations are up significantly, 15% from first-time patrons.
U.S. orchestras show signs of revenue recovery as they return to live performances following two seasons of mostly online programming, with tickets sales partial and uneven, and donations much more robust. These results are according to a new study, "Orchestras in Recovery: Ticket Sales and Donation Trends 2018-2021" released by international arts management consultants TRG Arts in partnership with the League of American Orchestras. The study also includes findings about advance ticket sales and patron demographics, diversity, and engagement.
The study is based on data collected from the COVID-19 Sector Benchmark, an initiative led by TRG Arts and Purple Seven, which has grown into the largest global arts and cultural consumer dataset in the industry. "Orchestras in Recovery" focuses on a cohort of 27 mostly larger-budget U.S. orchestras participating in the benchmark, compared with a wider cohort of 125 performing arts organizations.
Among the study highlights:
"Orchestras must recognize that many patrons are having their first experience with the orchestra as a donor, and that they have an opportunity to build new patron bases through donations," said TRG Arts CEO Jill S. Robinson. "This new activity should be acknowledged and invitations for a next experience with the orchestra carefully crafted to build on the patron's interests in order to effectively deepen the relationship."
"We're grateful to our orchestra cohort for participating in this important study," said Karen Yair, the league's Vice President, Research and Resources. "Subscribers and donors have displayed extraordinary generosity during these past months, and, as a result, orchestras are making strides towards recovery. While the shortfalls from ticket sales remain a serious challenge, we believe that the coming months will bring continuing audience comfort with attending live music and cultural events."
To download a copy of "Orchestras in Recovery: Ticket Sales and Donation Trends 2018-2021" visit https://go.trgarts.com/lao-insight-report-nov-2021.
Videos