Musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
In Tuesday’s (9/3) New York Times, Joshua Barone writes, “Memberships that provide unlimited access to something for a monthly fee … are tightly woven into our lives in part because they’re convenient…. The model could go something like this: You pay a monthly membership fee to your local symphony orchestra that entitles you to attend however much you’d like…. The orchestra receives steady revenue, and you have full control of your calendar … While a handful of orchestras have experimented with this model, it hasn’t become standard because most institutions already have a long-established ticketing program they prefer: subscriptions.” The article quotes representatives of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and Cleveland Orchestra, which are using membership programs with positive results. “Simon Woods, the president and chief executive of the League of American Orchestras, said that while subscriptions are, broadly speaking, doing well, institutions are hesitant to do anything that might hasten their decline. Woods is also not convinced that memberships are a viable replacement for subscriptions. ‘The customer is getting a pretty good bargain at the price points you’re seeing,’ he said…. ‘The membership strategy is a great attendance strategy. It may not be a good revenue strategy.’ ”
