Page 12 - The Strad (February 2020)
P. 12
On the beat
News and events from around the world this month
The business of selling
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www.thestrad.com By Harry White
Christoph Eschenbach
conducts the Gothenburg
Symphony in October 2019
espite prophecies of the apocalyptic demise going on in the arts that “subscriptions are dead”,’ says
of classical music, you don’t have to look Still. ‘But people try to sell subscriptions to the wrong
far for a positive narrative about its status target group, around 35 years old. at doesn’t work
D in the 21st century. Many ensembles are unless we are talking about a couple of hundred
getting it right, with subscription rates rising, audiences subscriptions for a very specic product, and that’s not
diversifying and donor bases expanding. But how are a real solution. Young people come into the arts and,
they doing it? It appears that the key to such success looking at themselves, think nobody wants to buy
might be nothing to do with music at all, but another subscriptions. ey are too young and can’t understand
art form altogether – that of marketing. the drivers of people over 55.’ Still’s method includes an
Magnus Still is CEO of consultancy rm StillArt, ‘Annual Subscription Wheel’ of 23 marketing activities,
chairperson of its Subscription Advisory Board, and following a bespoke three-month period of analysis
author of the book Fill Every Seat – Every Week. He known as ‘mapping’. Such marketing primarily
argues that, in forging a strategy focused on xed involves customer-service initiatives, such as subscriber
subscriptions, organisations can experience a events, and direct mail. When you see the results it’s
remarkable turnaround of fortune. He cites retention hard to argue. Using Still’s methods, the Gothenburg
as the raison d’être for this methodology, with Symphony went from ‘crisis concerts’ with very few
somewhere between 75 to 90 per cent of subscribers tickets sold every third week to selling 98 per cent of
renewing for the following season, but only around the tickets available throughout the season in months.
12 per cent of rst-time buyers ever returning to the is doesn’t mean that single tickets and outreach
concert hall. ‘People try to x capacity problems with are irrelevant. Rather, their value is, in Still’s words, to
outreach and single ticket sales,’ he says. ‘If we are not ‘engage and build a relationship with new people and
talking about single events, like Christmas, but about in the process build a pool of future potential
solving the long-term problem, the only solution is subscribers’. And it is here that Aubrey Bergauer
subscriptions. e primary administrative purpose has forged a formidable reputation. Bergauer is vice
with xed subscriptions is to sell out the whole season. president of Strategic Communications and executive
e target audience can be clearly dened, primarily director for the Center for Innovative Leadership at COURTESY GÖTEBORGS SYMFONIKER
55-plus, well-educated and relatively high-income.’ the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In her
So, marketers need to forget about the 20- and previous role as executive director of the California
30-somethings? ‘For decades there was the discourse Symphony, she increased ticket sales by 70 per cent
12 THE STRAD FEBRUARY 2020 www.thestrad.com
