The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in performance at Heinz Hall.
In Wednesday’s (3/20) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jeremy Reynolds writes, “JCA Arts Marketing published a study, ‘Trends in Audience Behavior,’ indicating traditional subscriptions have been in decline since the ’90s, and that the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subscriptions have bounced back slightly in the last couple of years, but are continuing their long overall decline. According to the study: ‘The drop in subscriptions post-pandemic has been uncomfortable, but not surprising.’ Arts organizations historically relied on subscriptions for several reasons…. On the consumer side, subscriptions provide steep discounts ranging from 15-30% on the price of individual tickets and other perks, like access to behind-the-scenes events and early access to tickets to special programming…. In Pittsburgh, the symphony, opera, and ballet … are experimenting with different sorts of subscription models to make up some of the lost revenue…. The Pittsburgh Symphony is dipping a toe into increased flexibility…. Previously, patrons could buy tickets to either the classical or pops series. Now, a subscription to one allows ticket-buyers to exchange freely into the other or into the orchestra’s live-with-film series…. This year, the orchestra is fronting a ‘choose your own’-style package to accommodate different tastes.” The article also reports on subscriptions options at Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
