Try roughing out a budget. Write down ballpark salaries and other expenses. Now, write down ballpark ticket prices, number of performances, and reasonable total attendance. Do they balance?Mark wrote:I can think of a few people who have made significant donations to orchestras and the only time they attended an orchestrta concert was the one given to honor them for their donation.LJV wrote:I'm sure those "private donations" come from disinterested parties, too.
I realize the world is not perfect. But, in a perfect world, orchestras would be self-sufficient through ticket sales.
If not, how do you fix it? One was is to widen the gap between the cheapest ticket in the house and the most expensive ticket. The cheap seats boost the number of butts in the seats - the expensive seats boost the amount of $$ you collect. Finding the right balance is the tricky part.
Find ways to charge OUTRAGEOUS prices for the most desirable seats. If you do it right, you can charge $1million per ticket (for a very few, very rich patrons). Perhaps you could spring for a few drinks, or a private meeting with the principal Tuba player, as an extra incentive (the benefit of selling just ONE more of these $million tickets is very high!)
I know of one orchestra that seems to be doing this right - but then they rose up from the ashes of a bankrupt predecessor. In my opinion, the key to their success was that they refused to "come back" until there was a sound financial plan in place. So far (cross your fingers) it's working. Part of it is outreach; part of it is more programs (for more audiences, with varying musical tastes) - but most of it is hard nosed economics. And, some of it is care and feeding of those who are willing to contribute.
Perhaps it will be necessary to destroy Detroit, in order to save it.
