April 2009 Archives
Steve Reich 2009 Pulitzer (from Ronen) and John Zorn 2006 MacArthur Genius Grant mentions on The Colbert Report:
A few weeks back, I saw a young pianist perform an original composition of his, in addition to some standard piano works. I thought his piece was terrible, and left the concert at intermission. On the 1 train home, though, I wondered to myself, if it had been Nico's piece/playing, would I have enjoyed it? If it was David Lang's, would I have thought it was good? Obviously we all support our friends (and in David's case, friends and clients), but when you know an artist personally, can you ever be objective about his or her work?
And what happens when we all think we know an artist personally because he or she has achieved a certain level of fame; can anyone then be objective? Clearly Steve Reich "deserves", by nearly any definition, a Pulitzer, but I think we "in the industry" often forgot how our heroes may be perceived by the world-at-large. Look at Colbert's face after hearing a clip from Reich's winning piece, Double Sextet:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Who's Not Honoring Me Now? - Emmys | ||||
| ||||
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Who's Not Honoring Me Now? - The MacArthur Foundation | ||||
| ||||
A few weeks back, I saw a young pianist perform an original composition of his, in addition to some standard piano works. I thought his piece was terrible, and left the concert at intermission. On the 1 train home, though, I wondered to myself, if it had been Nico's piece/playing, would I have enjoyed it? If it was David Lang's, would I have thought it was good? Obviously we all support our friends (and in David's case, friends and clients), but when you know an artist personally, can you ever be objective about his or her work?
And what happens when we all think we know an artist personally because he or she has achieved a certain level of fame; can anyone then be objective? Clearly Steve Reich "deserves", by nearly any definition, a Pulitzer, but I think we "in the industry" often forgot how our heroes may be perceived by the world-at-large. Look at Colbert's face after hearing a clip from Reich's winning piece, Double Sextet:
I suspect that is the exact face my college friends would make if I played Double Sextet for them. My parents and sister would have similar responses. "I'm sure it's...good, it's just not my thing." So, a few questions: 1. Does winning a mainstream award for music matter if the music is not mainstream? 2. If we've (I've) drank the new music Kool-Aid, how I can effectively publicize it to people who haven't? 3. If you care about, say, classical music enough to promote it as a career, how can you (I) possibly understand - and thus connect with - people who don't care about it at all?
On Monday, much more famous ArtsJournal blogger Terry Teachout posted a fantastic list of ways to get him to review your plays on his blog About Last Night. I love this, because it rewards his regular blog readers; they now have a distinct advantage over press people/playwrights who only read his Wall Street Journal column. As I've mentioned before on this blog, I think it's extremely important for publicists to do as much research on journalists as we expect them to do on our clients, or, if an artist/company is pitching themselves, on their organizations. What do writers cover? What are their interests? Likes/dislikes? Where are they from? Do they have a blog? What other publications do they write for? Why is your client a good fit for them? I suppose on very rare occassions the spaghetti/wall/general-press-release-to-the-masses approach works, but in my experience, a little Google work goes a long way.
Here are some of the highlights from Teachout's list. It's amazing that he gets so specific. Like when I was looking at colleges and after my Brown University information session the admissions officer goes, "Is anyone here from North Dakota? If you are, please come see us after your tour. We don't currently have any students from North Dakota at Brown." My mom was like, should we move? Maybe your father could move...
Anyway, selections from the Teachout instructions:
Here are some of the highlights from Teachout's list. It's amazing that he gets so specific. Like when I was looking at colleges and after my Brown University information session the admissions officer goes, "Is anyone here from North Dakota? If you are, please come see us after your tour. We don't currently have any students from North Dakota at Brown." My mom was like, should we move? Maybe your father could move...
Anyway, selections from the Teachout instructions:
• I have no geographical prejudices. On the contrary, I love to range far afield, particularly to states that I haven't yet gotten around to visiting in my capacity as America's drama critic. Right now Colorado and Texas loom largest, but if you're doing something exciting in (say) Mississippi or Montana, I'd be more than happy to add you to the list as well.
• Repertory is everything. I won't visit an out-of-town company that I've never seen to review a play by an author of whom I've never heard. What I look for is an imaginative mix of revivals of major plays--including comedies--and newer works by living playwrights and songwriters whose work I've admired. Some names on the latter list: Alan Ayckbourn, Brooke Berman, Nilo Cruz, Liz Flahive, Brian Friel, Athol Fugard, Adam Guettel, A.R. Gurney, David Ives, Michael John LaChiusa, Kenneth Lonergan, Lisa Loomer, David Mamet, Martin McDonagh, Conor McPherson, Itamar Moses, Lynn Nottage, Stephen Sondheim, and Tom Stoppard.
I also have a select list of older shows I'd like to review that haven't been revived in New York lately (or ever). If you're doing The Beauty Part, The Cocktail Party, The Entertainer, Hotel Paradiso, The Iceman Cometh, Loot, Man and Superman, On the Town, Rhinoceros, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Visit (the play, not the musical), or anything by Jean Anouilh, S.N. Behrman, William Inge, Terence Rattigan, or John Van Druten, kindly drop me a line.
...
• Web sites matter--a lot. A clean-looking home page that conveys a maximum of information with a minimum of clutter tells me that you know what you're doing, thus increasing the likelihood that I'll come see you. An unprofessional-looking, illogically organized home page suggests the opposite. (If you can't spell, hire a proofreader.) This doesn't mean I won't consider reviewing you--I know appearances can be deceiving--but bad design is a needless obstacle to your being taken seriously by other online visitors.
...
• Mention this posting. I've come to see shows solely because publicists who read my blog wrote to tell me that their companies were doing a specific show that they had good reason to think might interest me. Go thou and do likewise.
On mostly Fridays, but sometimes Mondays, I'll post an interview with someone who knows a lot more than yours truly about specific marketing and publicity topics. This week, my Pilates instructor Jeanette Palmer on keeping students coming back to her classes, on why yoga gets all the good press, and on teaching and marketing to different ability levels. The problem with doing this interview is, of course, that she now knows what I'm thinking about when I'm supposed to be "deepening" my "C-curve".
Ballet-trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Jeanette Palmer enjoyed a successful career on the musical theatre stage, including Broadway, New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. Overlapping her career as an actress/singer/dancer, she has accumulated over thirty years of teaching experience in the fields of movement, dance and fitness, and now teaches Pilates full time in New York City. Jeanette is on the adjunct faculty of the Graduate Center at CUNY, is the Pilates instructor to the Women's Swim Team at Columbia University, and conducts weekly Mat classes to the Metropolitan Montessori School's faculty and staff. By special invitation from the Cirque du Soleil, Jeanette had the honor of guest teaching an afternoon of Pilates workshops to their "Quidam" company while they were in Philadelphia. As the Senior Assistant to the creator of LindaFit Pilates, she co-leads Pilates teacher-training certification programs four times a year in New York City.
How long have you been teaching Pilates?
I first began teaching a "Pilates-based" exercise program, called IM=X Fitness Formula, eleven years ago. Some of the sequences are identical to traditional Pilates ... but some are different, variations on the theme. After about three or four years of teaching IM=X, I started integrating more of the traditional sequences ... and, gradually, phased out the IM=X c completely. -- Now, that's where I am: I teach Pilates.
Which is more difficult to get students for: group classes or private sessions? How do you market yourself differently for group classes vs. private sessions?
Well ... the first question is not an easy one to answer. In fact, it's almost a "Trick" question, and here's 'why': When I teach 'group' classes, I work for someone else. I teach at a gym, a private school, a graduate school and, until recently, a dance studio. So, my 'group' classes are promoted by the organization that hires me ... and, over the years, I've seen a DIRECT correlation between marketing and class size. The Gym where I work is ALWAYS putting the word out about their facility and the classes offered. As a result, my classes there are ALWAYS packed! The Graduate Center used to publish an extensive bulletin advertising their 'Continuing Ed' classes, and my classes grew and grew to the point where we were turning people away. Then about two years ago, they stopped publishing the bulletin ... and we've been scraping by ever since. New Dance Group, on the other hand, NEVER did any marketing and the classes remained TINY. (BTW, I finally got fed up and resigned, months later they went out of business!)
Now, my Private Practice is another story all together. I have never done any advertising, what-so-ever. My entire private practice has come to me through word of mouth. The only thing I've ever done that might be considered 'Marketing' was to throw a "Client Appreciation Event" about five years into my practice. It was a lovely cocktail party.
One more thing on the subject of attracting private clients: When a potential client approaches me, they are almost always concerned about a previous injury or chronic condition. Or, they tell me that they have a very specific goal in mind. -- So, in our initial 'interview' I explain to them how I will custom tailor the workout to fit their specific needs and goals.
How do you balance making group classes challenging enough to all ability levels so that students keep coming back to learn more, but manageable enough that students aren't scared off and don't return?
Practice, practice, practice! It's taken me YEARS to come up with a system that, if you don't mind me saying so, works perfectly.
It's a combination of things:
Similarly, how do you handle constructive criticism of individuals? One day in a class I was in, you suggested a woman attempt a deeper position, and she argued back that she couldn't (and never had) done that. You were very polite and said, "oh, well, I thought you had before", but it occurred to me that when adults are in a class out of their own free will, criticizing someone can be awkward for the instructor. How do you deal with that?
Well ... I don't think of it as "criticizing" my students. I think of it as giving them corrections. I think of it as "teaching" ... so, usually it doesn't feel awkward at all. To me it always feels like I am 'helping' them ... and, in fact, sometimes it feels like I am 'saving their lives'!
Also, for the most part (unless I am having a particularly bad day) I feel LOVE for my students ... and have the utmost respect for them. So, whatever anyone can do, at any given point in time, is usually O.K. with me. It's all a process.
I feel like yoga is trendier - or at least more widely-known - than Pilates. How and why did that happen?
Hmmmm. That's a good question, and I'm not entirely sure ... except to say that Yoga has been around for a LOT longer than Pilates. -- Also, when Joseph Pilates first brought his method to NYC, it was taught in private one-on-one sessions. So ... very few people either knew about it or could afford privates sessions. It wasn't until VERY recently that Pilates was offered in a group class setting.
Do people ever come in and say, "I read about Pilates in X publication"? If so, what are some of those publications. Dance magazines? Yoga magazines?
Yes, I suppose they DO say that, on occasion. Yes, now that I think of it, absolutely! In fact, my students often cut the articles out and bring them to me. (it's quite sweet, actually!) But the publications mentioned have been more mainstream like Shape, Fitness, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc.. And more recently, of course, Pilates Style Magazine, which is a relatively new publication.
There are tons of anti-smoking commercials on TV. Anti-drugs, anti-drunk driving; I even keep seeing commercials that are pro-corn syrup, which drive me nuts because who really cares if corn syrup won't kill you. You don't see physical fitness TV commercials, though, or very many print ads for fitness either, beyond ads for private gyms. Are there not-for-profit pro-fitness service organizations in the US? What about organizations that promote mind/body forms of fitness like yoga and Pilates?
Another very interesting point! I never even noticed the lack because, as a fitness professional, I receive so many 'professional trade publications'. From where I stand, it seems that the word is not just out there, but "In your face". Your question makes me realize, of course, that this is not true.
I'm not up on all the organizations ... but one does come to mind: IDEA Health and Fitness Association. www.ideafit.com
Do you know if Pilates (or yoga) is ever taught in public schools? Do you think it should be?
Perhaps Yoga has made it into the public schools ... but, as far as I know, Pilates has is not, yet being taught there. And yes, I do think that it would be beneficial for the BASICS to be taught in that arena. Maybe the best way would be to apply the Pilates Principles to all
forms of exercise.
Are Pilates DVDs (or podcasts) more popular than group classes? Are at-home DVDs sufficient, or do you think a teacher is necessary?
Well I think the 'Idea' ... the 'intention' of working out at home with a DVD or Podcast is more popular than a group class. But in my experience, few people have the self discipline to stick to the routine or work themselves hard enough.
And I DO think that a teacher is necessary when one is first learning the technique. At home DVDs, etc are fine for the experienced practitioner. (but even the pros should check in with a teacher from time-to-time. There's no replacement for having a pair of eyes watching you, making minor adjustments to your form here and there)
If you had to name one thing, what is it that keeps students coming back to your classes?
Honestly ... Passion
Ballet-trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Jeanette Palmer enjoyed a successful career on the musical theatre stage, including Broadway, New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. Overlapping her career as an actress/singer/dancer, she has accumulated over thirty years of teaching experience in the fields of movement, dance and fitness, and now teaches Pilates full time in New York City. Jeanette is on the adjunct faculty of the Graduate Center at CUNY, is the Pilates instructor to the Women's Swim Team at Columbia University, and conducts weekly Mat classes to the Metropolitan Montessori School's faculty and staff. By special invitation from the Cirque du Soleil, Jeanette had the honor of guest teaching an afternoon of Pilates workshops to their "Quidam" company while they were in Philadelphia. As the Senior Assistant to the creator of LindaFit Pilates, she co-leads Pilates teacher-training certification programs four times a year in New York City. How long have you been teaching Pilates?
I first began teaching a "Pilates-based" exercise program, called IM=X Fitness Formula, eleven years ago. Some of the sequences are identical to traditional Pilates ... but some are different, variations on the theme. After about three or four years of teaching IM=X, I started integrating more of the traditional sequences ... and, gradually, phased out the IM=X c completely. -- Now, that's where I am: I teach Pilates.
Which is more difficult to get students for: group classes or private sessions? How do you market yourself differently for group classes vs. private sessions?
Well ... the first question is not an easy one to answer. In fact, it's almost a "Trick" question, and here's 'why': When I teach 'group' classes, I work for someone else. I teach at a gym, a private school, a graduate school and, until recently, a dance studio. So, my 'group' classes are promoted by the organization that hires me ... and, over the years, I've seen a DIRECT correlation between marketing and class size. The Gym where I work is ALWAYS putting the word out about their facility and the classes offered. As a result, my classes there are ALWAYS packed! The Graduate Center used to publish an extensive bulletin advertising their 'Continuing Ed' classes, and my classes grew and grew to the point where we were turning people away. Then about two years ago, they stopped publishing the bulletin ... and we've been scraping by ever since. New Dance Group, on the other hand, NEVER did any marketing and the classes remained TINY. (BTW, I finally got fed up and resigned, months later they went out of business!)
Now, my Private Practice is another story all together. I have never done any advertising, what-so-ever. My entire private practice has come to me through word of mouth. The only thing I've ever done that might be considered 'Marketing' was to throw a "Client Appreciation Event" about five years into my practice. It was a lovely cocktail party.
One more thing on the subject of attracting private clients: When a potential client approaches me, they are almost always concerned about a previous injury or chronic condition. Or, they tell me that they have a very specific goal in mind. -- So, in our initial 'interview' I explain to them how I will custom tailor the workout to fit their specific needs and goals.
How do you balance making group classes challenging enough to all ability levels so that students keep coming back to learn more, but manageable enough that students aren't scared off and don't return?
Practice, practice, practice! It's taken me YEARS to come up with a system that, if you don't mind me saying so, works perfectly.
It's a combination of things:
- I let new-comers know that that they can rest at any point and that pain is a warning signal to STOP.
- I set up EACH exercise so that EVERY student can execute the moves 'safely'.
- From there, as the students are performing the exercise ... I build on the basics and add challenging variations for the more experienced students.
- Finally ... if demonstration is required for the beginners, I have my advanced students do the demonstrating so that they can keep moving and challenging themselves.
Similarly, how do you handle constructive criticism of individuals? One day in a class I was in, you suggested a woman attempt a deeper position, and she argued back that she couldn't (and never had) done that. You were very polite and said, "oh, well, I thought you had before", but it occurred to me that when adults are in a class out of their own free will, criticizing someone can be awkward for the instructor. How do you deal with that?
Well ... I don't think of it as "criticizing" my students. I think of it as giving them corrections. I think of it as "teaching" ... so, usually it doesn't feel awkward at all. To me it always feels like I am 'helping' them ... and, in fact, sometimes it feels like I am 'saving their lives'!
Also, for the most part (unless I am having a particularly bad day) I feel LOVE for my students ... and have the utmost respect for them. So, whatever anyone can do, at any given point in time, is usually O.K. with me. It's all a process.
I feel like yoga is trendier - or at least more widely-known - than Pilates. How and why did that happen?
Hmmmm. That's a good question, and I'm not entirely sure ... except to say that Yoga has been around for a LOT longer than Pilates. -- Also, when Joseph Pilates first brought his method to NYC, it was taught in private one-on-one sessions. So ... very few people either knew about it or could afford privates sessions. It wasn't until VERY recently that Pilates was offered in a group class setting.
Do people ever come in and say, "I read about Pilates in X publication"? If so, what are some of those publications. Dance magazines? Yoga magazines?
Yes, I suppose they DO say that, on occasion. Yes, now that I think of it, absolutely! In fact, my students often cut the articles out and bring them to me. (it's quite sweet, actually!) But the publications mentioned have been more mainstream like Shape, Fitness, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc.. And more recently, of course, Pilates Style Magazine, which is a relatively new publication.
There are tons of anti-smoking commercials on TV. Anti-drugs, anti-drunk driving; I even keep seeing commercials that are pro-corn syrup, which drive me nuts because who really cares if corn syrup won't kill you. You don't see physical fitness TV commercials, though, or very many print ads for fitness either, beyond ads for private gyms. Are there not-for-profit pro-fitness service organizations in the US? What about organizations that promote mind/body forms of fitness like yoga and Pilates?
Another very interesting point! I never even noticed the lack because, as a fitness professional, I receive so many 'professional trade publications'. From where I stand, it seems that the word is not just out there, but "In your face". Your question makes me realize, of course, that this is not true.
I'm not up on all the organizations ... but one does come to mind: IDEA Health and Fitness Association. www.ideafit.com
Do you know if Pilates (or yoga) is ever taught in public schools? Do you think it should be?
Perhaps Yoga has made it into the public schools ... but, as far as I know, Pilates has is not, yet being taught there. And yes, I do think that it would be beneficial for the BASICS to be taught in that arena. Maybe the best way would be to apply the Pilates Principles to all
forms of exercise.
Are Pilates DVDs (or podcasts) more popular than group classes? Are at-home DVDs sufficient, or do you think a teacher is necessary?
Well I think the 'Idea' ... the 'intention' of working out at home with a DVD or Podcast is more popular than a group class. But in my experience, few people have the self discipline to stick to the routine or work themselves hard enough.
And I DO think that a teacher is necessary when one is first learning the technique. At home DVDs, etc are fine for the experienced practitioner. (but even the pros should check in with a teacher from time-to-time. There's no replacement for having a pair of eyes watching you, making minor adjustments to your form here and there)
If you had to name one thing, what is it that keeps students coming back to your classes?
Honestly ... Passion
Why isn't there a Starbucks by 71 Thomas Street, where Manhattanites have to report for jury duty?
There's not a coffee shop for three whole blocks! Business opportunity alert. I went to Bouley Bakery, and then scampered back with a quickness so as to not lose my plug-seat. I can case a joint for outlets in under a minute, and people were eyeing my prize all morning.
They have wireless at jury duty, turns out. Although who knows what they're scanning for if you use it. To be safe, I packed my own modem.
Yes, I realize this has nothing to do with marketing the arts, I just thought perhaps an artist or former arts administrator might be interested in opening The Jury's Still Out.
Insanity Tea?
Grande No-Whip Jury?
Sub-Beana?
There's not a coffee shop for three whole blocks! Business opportunity alert. I went to Bouley Bakery, and then scampered back with a quickness so as to not lose my plug-seat. I can case a joint for outlets in under a minute, and people were eyeing my prize all morning.
They have wireless at jury duty, turns out. Although who knows what they're scanning for if you use it. To be safe, I packed my own modem.
Yes, I realize this has nothing to do with marketing the arts, I just thought perhaps an artist or former arts administrator might be interested in opening The Jury's Still Out.
Insanity Tea?
Grande No-Whip Jury?
Sub-Beana?
Maybe one day when I grow up I'll get to move to a Big City. I'm tired of this tiny island, where a girl can't even go to a simple Zumba class without running into someone who works at Carnegie Hall.
As previously mentioned, I am Not Good at Zumba. No one needs to see me bump/grinding in a futile attempt to get skinny, so you can only imagine my internal oh-brother eye-roll when I spied someone from Carnegie in class on Sunday. (Maybe he won't remember having met me last summer...) oh yes, he does, "You're Amanda, right?" Fan-zumba-tastic.
Turns out, he usually takes class at Alvin Ailey, but is friends with the teacher who was subbing at my gym that day. I didn't know Ailey offered dance classes! Their "Extension" (get it?) program is billed as "real classes for real people":
Thinking about it, when I was taking harp lessons in Connecticut, my teacher never took me to or told me to go to a New York Philharmonic concert. I think I may have seen one or two of her concerts, but she never assigned a piece and a concert at a same time. "You need to learn the Handel harp concerto in B-flat Major for college auditions, but you also need to see it performed." Perhaps it's just my personal experience, but there seems to be a disconnect between learning an instrument and attending actual performances. With that in mind, if the orchestras themselves were offering classes, perhaps class and subscription packages could be sold together, and the lessons could be tied repertoire-wise to the performances.
More and more I think the greatest challenge for arts organizations is simply getting people in the door. And once The People are inside, who cares what they're doing - taking a class, browsing in the gift shop, having a drink. Of course if you get them there, don't forget to market everything else the venue has to offer directly to them.
Update 4/23, 2:25pm, from jury duty: Brought to my attention by the wonderful "You've Cott Mail" daily newsletter, a piece in today's Wall Street Journal describes how the Joffrey Ballet is supplementing their income by offering dance classes to the public:
As previously mentioned, I am Not Good at Zumba. No one needs to see me bump/grinding in a futile attempt to get skinny, so you can only imagine my internal oh-brother eye-roll when I spied someone from Carnegie in class on Sunday. (Maybe he won't remember having met me last summer...) oh yes, he does, "You're Amanda, right?" Fan-zumba-tastic.
Turns out, he usually takes class at Alvin Ailey, but is friends with the teacher who was subbing at my gym that day. I didn't know Ailey offered dance classes! Their "Extension" (get it?) program is billed as "real classes for real people":
Having a real-person dance studio in-house is a great way for a company to build young and new audiences. Someone wants to start exercising so they take a dance class; they then feel like they're part of the Alvin Ailey community, which makes them want to see a performance or participate further. Would/could/does this work for music? I looked through the websites of about ten major orchestras and couldn't find anything similar to the Ailey program. The orchestras all have education departments, sure, but not actual music schools for the average person. If I wanted to start taking harp lessons again, for example, in all my free time, I could take them through the New York Philharmonic. The classes wouldn't necessarily be taught by the musicians of the Philharmonic, but they would take place at Lincoln Center, sold through the Philharmonic website, and branded as Philharmonic programs. I, the consumer, would have as sense that there was a level of quality involved because it was the New York Philharmonic (..or Boston Symphony Orchestra or LA Philharmonic), a reputation benefit I'm sure the Ailey program reaps.The Ailey Extension embodies Mr. Ailey's legacy that dance comes from the people and that it should be given back to the people by making dance accessible to everyone. Whether you haven't taken a dance class in 20 years, take class regularly, or have never danced a step, The Ailey Extension has dance and fitness classes designed especially for you.
In the words of our inspirational Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, "If you can get yourself in the door, you can take a class!"
Thinking about it, when I was taking harp lessons in Connecticut, my teacher never took me to or told me to go to a New York Philharmonic concert. I think I may have seen one or two of her concerts, but she never assigned a piece and a concert at a same time. "You need to learn the Handel harp concerto in B-flat Major for college auditions, but you also need to see it performed." Perhaps it's just my personal experience, but there seems to be a disconnect between learning an instrument and attending actual performances. With that in mind, if the orchestras themselves were offering classes, perhaps class and subscription packages could be sold together, and the lessons could be tied repertoire-wise to the performances.
More and more I think the greatest challenge for arts organizations is simply getting people in the door. And once The People are inside, who cares what they're doing - taking a class, browsing in the gift shop, having a drink. Of course if you get them there, don't forget to market everything else the venue has to offer directly to them.
Update 4/23, 2:25pm, from jury duty: Brought to my attention by the wonderful "You've Cott Mail" daily newsletter, a piece in today's Wall Street Journal describes how the Joffrey Ballet is supplementing their income by offering dance classes to the public:
Joffrey Ballet
Generating Income
Nonprofits hard-pressed for donations may consider creating a project to generate income.
In August 2008, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago faced a 40% decline in ticket sales and a reduction in corporate sponsorships, leaving a $300,000 budget shortfall.
In January, the Joffrey decided to generate income by offering dance classes to the public. The classes are taught in the group's existing space, by the Joffrey's dancers, and the ballet's existing staff handles marketing, so there are no substantial additional expenses.
Since January, the classes have generated $200,000 in revenue, and the Joffrey is expecting to earn another $300,000 by June. Moreover, people who take the classes are buying tickets to see their teachers and the rest of the company perform, says the Joffrey's executive director, Christopher Clinton-Conway.
Some advisers caution that an economic crisis can be the worst time to start an income-generating activity. "For a nonprofit to put a lot of resources into what could be a risky proposition could be dangerous," says Ms. Berman of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
She suggests first making sure there is a market for the proposed business, and then determining how much money would have to be invested before it became profitable and whether the organization has the skills and staff to manage the business. Any activity should be directly related to the organization's mission and core capabilities, she adds.
Sometimes the lack of mainstream press coverage for classical music gets me down. But then I see things like this, and realize work could always be worse. From Defamer:
If I staged a fake engagement for one of my clients we'd both basically stand outside the jewelry store for 20 minutes and then would be like, "Soooo....do you wanna go get some gelato?" as a tumbleweed rolled by.
Have you heard the one about the Disney Channel star in a nude-photo scandal? No, not that one. Or that one. But rather Adrienne Bailon, the co-star of Disney's series Cheetah Girls and, before last weekend, among the network's last remaining female talent not to have half-naked pictures of herself circulating online. Good thing she has a friend in the crisis-publicity racket, right? Alas, she has neither a crisis nor a friend if her mercenary flack-turned-famewhore gossip Jonathan Jaxson's stunningly dumb TV mea culpa is any indication.I love how they call him a "long-time" Hollywood publicist on the morning show. He's 25. Is he a Publicity Prodigy?
If I staged a fake engagement for one of my clients we'd both basically stand outside the jewelry store for 20 minutes and then would be like, "Soooo....do you wanna go get some gelato?" as a tumbleweed rolled by.
I can take exactly no credit for this idea (it's all Michael!), but we're running an mp3 scavenger hunt to promote the New York City performance of Michael Gordon's work 'Trance' on Wednesday, April 22nd at (le) poisson rouge. Start at Sequenza21, where you'll find a free download of Trance 1 and a clue for the blog that's hosting Trance 2. Then continue on to collect Trance 2, Trance 3, Trance 4, Trance Drone, Trance 5 (Part 1) and Trance 5 (Part 2). When you have a list of seven blogs, e mail me. The first three people e mail me a list of the blogs get a pair of tickets to the concert.
Many thanks to all the bloggers participating and to Cantaloupe Music for offering the tracks!
Read Molly Sheridan's coverage of The Metropolitan Opera's season brochure and....eeeeeekkk...order forms (!) here. She writes:
And speaking of season brochures, why aren't New York City Opera 09-10 tickets on sale yet?
And speaking of City Opera, why does their new logo look exactly like New York City Ballet's??
I mean, I love New York City Ballet's logo but...folks are going to notice the similarities! Copy it if you're in Kansas, not if you share a performance space.
Now, I bet opera fans were drooling all over this same package, so I don't mean to knock the concept. And it must have cost a small fortune to produce and mail, so I hope they all immediately put in extensive season orders. But it was way more than I, a one-time single ticket buyer, knew what to do with. I'm more a teaser video and "Buy nosebleed seats for this Friday's show NOW for only $25!" kind of girl, myself.It's funny that Molly's post is called "Not Waiting for an Engraved Invitation"; two of my friends have gotten married in the past year, and I received e mail invitations to both weddings.
...This package was a great sales piece, I just wasn't the right customer.
And speaking of season brochures, why aren't New York City Opera 09-10 tickets on sale yet?
And speaking of City Opera, why does their new logo look exactly like New York City Ballet's??
I mean, I love New York City Ballet's logo but...folks are going to notice the similarities! Copy it if you're in Kansas, not if you share a performance space.
...the New York Post reminds you you haven't.
Brought to my attention by the Musical America weekly newsletter, composer Nathan Currier ((who?)) is suing the Brooklyn Philharmonic because they cut his piece and Allan Kozinn (consequently?) gave it a terrible review in the New York Times. This, apparently, had a "bad effect" on Currier "both psychologically and in a very direct, nuts-and-bolts way." It had a bad effect on Kozinn as well, who wondered during the performance if he had died and gone to hell, and reported feeling "liberated" when the piece was stopped early.
Brought to my attention by the Musical America weekly newsletter, composer Nathan Currier ((who?)) is suing the Brooklyn Philharmonic because they cut his piece and Allan Kozinn (consequently?) gave it a terrible review in the New York Times. This, apparently, had a "bad effect" on Currier "both psychologically and in a very direct, nuts-and-bolts way." It had a bad effect on Kozinn as well, who wondered during the performance if he had died and gone to hell, and reported feeling "liberated" when the piece was stopped early.
Currier was sitting in his seat during the second of two intermissions in the two-hour-long piece when orchestra CEO Catherine Cahill summoned him to an emergency meeting.
She hurriedly explained to him that by union rule, both intermissions had to count as 20 minutes -- no matter how long they actually were -- and that as a result the massive piece, for orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists, was in danger of incurring overtime.
The surprise warning came after orchestra officials had repeatedly reassured the composer that they had the labor situation under control, according to the suit.
A flabbergasted Currier quickly took out his musical scalpel and reluctantly sliced up the piece so that at least it would still end with, well, the end.
But worse was in store. At about 10:45, orchestra management apparently decided upon a simpler solution.
"Suddenly a hand stuck out from the left side, from offstage, and the conductor just stopped and walked offstage," Currier said. "It was completely bizarre because we had agreed on a different solution."
He said he still doesn't know why the cuts he'd made weren't used.
The piece was savaged by the Times -- a worst-case scenario for a classical composer in New York.
First, this nonsense went down 5 long years ago; why a lawsuit now? Second, being "savaged" by the Times is the "WORST-CASE SCENARIO" for a "classical composer in New York", New York Post?? Really? Really? I'm not sure that's true. Actually, I'm sure that's not true. I might say the "worst-case scenario" for a classical composer in New York is getting hit by a cab or whatever.
Artists - my artists, other artists - get bad reviews, even from ((rapid Silence of the Lambs sucking in of air)) The New York Times, and life always manages to trot on for everyone.
They can call me in as a Witness for the Publicity: one bad review cannot end an artist's career. Does anyone disagree, other than Nathan Currier? Comments?
Currier intends to drop the suit if the Brooklyn Phil will just play the "dreadful" - Allan Kozinn's word, not his - piece in its entirety.
I see my auto-posting didn't work out so well, but you got to look at Chase Brock's smiling face all week. There are worse things. More interviews in the coming weeks.
I've spent the morning while I should be catching up on e mails, or at the very least unpacking, reading the YouTube Symphony fall-out. What the what?? Greg Sandow calls it an "orgy of self-congratulation" here; Anastasia Tsioulcas suggests that the project should have been about the journey and not the destination here; and Anne Midgette quotes YouTube marketing manager Ed Sanders as saying, "I don't see any reason why this can't spin out. It doesn't have to be us that does it. The platform's there. If people want to go and discover talent, this is a great way to do it, and I think this project has shown it" here. As Anne points out, it does, in fact, have to be them, or someone else with $64K+ to spare.
So I read through those and a few e mails blog readers had sent ("The crowd loved it because someone told them to love it. The emperor is naked.") ("Waste of money - my money and YouTube's money - and a total embarrassment for Carnegie Hall.") ("It was a three-ring PR circus.") and then I finally came to the New York Times dot com and, upon seeing the photo, said out loud to no one, Oh My God.
I've spent the morning while I should be catching up on e mails, or at the very least unpacking, reading the YouTube Symphony fall-out. What the what?? Greg Sandow calls it an "orgy of self-congratulation" here; Anastasia Tsioulcas suggests that the project should have been about the journey and not the destination here; and Anne Midgette quotes YouTube marketing manager Ed Sanders as saying, "I don't see any reason why this can't spin out. It doesn't have to be us that does it. The platform's there. If people want to go and discover talent, this is a great way to do it, and I think this project has shown it" here. As Anne points out, it does, in fact, have to be them, or someone else with $64K+ to spare.
So I read through those and a few e mails blog readers had sent ("The crowd loved it because someone told them to love it. The emperor is naked.") ("Waste of money - my money and YouTube's money - and a total embarrassment for Carnegie Hall.") ("It was a three-ring PR circus.") and then I finally came to the New York Times dot com and, upon seeing the photo, said out loud to no one, Oh My God.
First of all, "YouTube" is mis-spaced in the caption, but that's the tip of the iceberg if there ever was one. I actually cannot believe this is what the concert looked like. Perhaps I should have, but I did not see the projections and the lights like that coming. My mouth remains open.
While I was away, six people - one friend, two clients, three blog readers - sent me the Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent video:
19 million views? 19 million views?? There's a 19-million-person audience out there for a woman who looks and acts like that? Only on YouTube, as they say. Which is, of course, fantastic.
Let's look at the other YouTube links my friends have sent me over the past few months. Where better to start than with Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" -
60 million views! 60 million views for five or less people/voices with homemade hand puppets.
Next up, Extreme Sheep LED Art -
Nearly 7 million views, sheep with lights on them, weird herder-men with cameras.
And last but certainly not least, the Single Ladies (BIG GIRL REMIX) -
Watch to the very end - you won't regret it. Recorded in what appears to be a basement, worthy of 5 million views, and we still don't know why the women are wearing devil horn headbands.
Susan Boyle wants a career as a singer; she says so in the clip. We also can't quite count her as a YouTube sensation, because she was on a TV show. But what do the Potter Puppet Pals want? A Broadway show? Do the sheep-herders want LED art commissions? What on earth do the Big Girls want? Do they want anything, or did they just think it would be funny to record themselves dancing to 'Single Ladies', and then thought the result was entertaining enough to put on YouTube? Perhaps being a YouTube hit was their goal all along, and they filmed the video for that purpose. There's no contact information on the video, so even if, say, The Joyce wanted the Big Girls, where/how would they find them? I guess the booker at The Joyce could post a comment?
Is it possible that people just want to be seen, without the chance of a proverbial or literal trip to Carnegie Hall? And beyond that, if you've made it on YouTube, have you made it - for whatever "real" is - already?
On his blog Think Denk, pianist Jeremy Denk describes the YouTube Symphony pianist's audition video:
[See Jeremy's video report on the YouTube Symphony rehearsals, Ives and his enlarged(?) pores here, by the way.]
So how did the YouTube Symphony get from this,
...to this,
...and why?
YouTube lets people be exactly who they are. If I filmed myself writing this blog entry, people would watch it. They would be bored out of their skulls, but someone out there would watch it. I'm wearing a five-year-old long-sleeved Dartmouth t-shirt, no makeup, and a bona fide scrunchie - no one wants to see that. Or do they? Probably. We want to see everything.
YouTube is gloss-less. And completely bizarre. And totally uncontrollable. It's a PR nightmare, actually, so why did the YouTube Symphony concert get more press than any classical music concert I've ever heard of? Why was the end result a concert at Carnegie Hall, one of the most glamorous places imaginable? And not just any concert at Carnegie Hall; one with lights and projections and classical music celebrities. Why did it have to cost so much to produce? Why did it cost anything to attend? YouTube is free and accessible to everyone; just look at all the artists who e-auditioned. If the goal of the project was to democratize classical music, the end result would seem to prove that point was missed.
And if this is true to neither YouTube nor to Carnegie Hall (Will first-timers think all Carnegie concerts have projections and lights? Spoiler Alert!! They don't!), who is gaining new audiences here? My father, who never looks at YouTube and only goes to Carnegie Hall when my clients are performing, handed me the Wall Street Journal preview and asked if I had heard of the project. Knowing about the YouTube Symphony will not make him comb through YouTube or start buying tickets to Carnegie Hall without my urging. The independent publicity company that handled the project and the Carnegie Hall press department have almost certainly expanded their media contacts through this endeavor, but what can they bring to that media going forward? Contacts are great, but there won't be international camera crews waiting outside the next time the BSO plays at Carnegie.
Speaking of my dad, he got an e mail last night from one of his clients (he makes plastic bags, I haven't finished his website yet). The client is a pizza chain, and the e mail was encouraging their contacts to "visit us on Facebook". "Do they have to pay for that?" my dad asked. "I know it's free for people to be on Facebook, but when companies just join to advertise, are there costs involved?" There aren't, I explained, unless you buy ads, but generally no - anyone can have a free Facebook page, even if it's created solely for advertising. Is Facebook Facebook when pizza chains can have pages? When your parents are on it? When there are ads for sale? Is YouTube YouTube when people post videos for the sole purpose of "being discovered"? Were 72,893 views for a strangely beautiful video of an unknown pianist playing the Waldstein sonata enough, or would none of it have mattered if he didn't eventually get to Carnegie Hall?
Perhaps I'm being naive: YouTube has been one big audition all along, and this project just admitted it.
While I was away, six people - one friend, two clients, three blog readers - sent me the Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent video:
19 million views? 19 million views?? There's a 19-million-person audience out there for a woman who looks and acts like that? Only on YouTube, as they say. Which is, of course, fantastic. Let's look at the other YouTube links my friends have sent me over the past few months. Where better to start than with Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" -
60 million views! 60 million views for five or less people/voices with homemade hand puppets.Next up, Extreme Sheep LED Art -
Nearly 7 million views, sheep with lights on them, weird herder-men with cameras. And last but certainly not least, the Single Ladies (BIG GIRL REMIX) -
Watch to the very end - you won't regret it. Recorded in what appears to be a basement, worthy of 5 million views, and we still don't know why the women are wearing devil horn headbands. Susan Boyle wants a career as a singer; she says so in the clip. We also can't quite count her as a YouTube sensation, because she was on a TV show. But what do the Potter Puppet Pals want? A Broadway show? Do the sheep-herders want LED art commissions? What on earth do the Big Girls want? Do they want anything, or did they just think it would be funny to record themselves dancing to 'Single Ladies', and then thought the result was entertaining enough to put on YouTube? Perhaps being a YouTube hit was their goal all along, and they filmed the video for that purpose. There's no contact information on the video, so even if, say, The Joyce wanted the Big Girls, where/how would they find them? I guess the booker at The Joyce could post a comment?
Is it possible that people just want to be seen, without the chance of a proverbial or literal trip to Carnegie Hall? And beyond that, if you've made it on YouTube, have you made it - for whatever "real" is - already?
On his blog Think Denk, pianist Jeremy Denk describes the YouTube Symphony pianist's audition video:
For some reason I found his video very moving. Something about the Italian sunlight-or is it a spotlight?-streaming in from the undisclosed above; something about the beaten-up upright, cornered against the wall, guts exposed ... But maybe most affecting is the dog in the corner, slumped expectantly. I admire how the video begins without people, with just piano and dog; who knows, perhaps only at this moment of being filmed they realize they are both beasts?
[See Jeremy's video report on the YouTube Symphony rehearsals, Ives and his enlarged(?) pores here, by the way.]
So how did the YouTube Symphony get from this,
...to this, ...and why? YouTube lets people be exactly who they are. If I filmed myself writing this blog entry, people would watch it. They would be bored out of their skulls, but someone out there would watch it. I'm wearing a five-year-old long-sleeved Dartmouth t-shirt, no makeup, and a bona fide scrunchie - no one wants to see that. Or do they? Probably. We want to see everything.
YouTube is gloss-less. And completely bizarre. And totally uncontrollable. It's a PR nightmare, actually, so why did the YouTube Symphony concert get more press than any classical music concert I've ever heard of? Why was the end result a concert at Carnegie Hall, one of the most glamorous places imaginable? And not just any concert at Carnegie Hall; one with lights and projections and classical music celebrities. Why did it have to cost so much to produce? Why did it cost anything to attend? YouTube is free and accessible to everyone; just look at all the artists who e-auditioned. If the goal of the project was to democratize classical music, the end result would seem to prove that point was missed.
And if this is true to neither YouTube nor to Carnegie Hall (Will first-timers think all Carnegie concerts have projections and lights? Spoiler Alert!! They don't!), who is gaining new audiences here? My father, who never looks at YouTube and only goes to Carnegie Hall when my clients are performing, handed me the Wall Street Journal preview and asked if I had heard of the project. Knowing about the YouTube Symphony will not make him comb through YouTube or start buying tickets to Carnegie Hall without my urging. The independent publicity company that handled the project and the Carnegie Hall press department have almost certainly expanded their media contacts through this endeavor, but what can they bring to that media going forward? Contacts are great, but there won't be international camera crews waiting outside the next time the BSO plays at Carnegie.
Speaking of my dad, he got an e mail last night from one of his clients (he makes plastic bags, I haven't finished his website yet). The client is a pizza chain, and the e mail was encouraging their contacts to "visit us on Facebook". "Do they have to pay for that?" my dad asked. "I know it's free for people to be on Facebook, but when companies just join to advertise, are there costs involved?" There aren't, I explained, unless you buy ads, but generally no - anyone can have a free Facebook page, even if it's created solely for advertising. Is Facebook Facebook when pizza chains can have pages? When your parents are on it? When there are ads for sale? Is YouTube YouTube when people post videos for the sole purpose of "being discovered"? Were 72,893 views for a strangely beautiful video of an unknown pianist playing the Waldstein sonata enough, or would none of it have mattered if he didn't eventually get to Carnegie Hall?
Perhaps I'm being naive: YouTube has been one big audition all along, and this project just admitted it.
In my absence, I'm going to post a couple bonus interviews this week. Here's choreographer and Artistic Director Chase Brock of The Chase Brock Experience on (not really) being from the theater world, the importance of having a brand beyond the stage, and critics crossing genres.
Chase Brock is a 25-year old choreographer working in the areas of dance, theater, opera, television, film and music. Recently called "prolific" in The New Yorker, he is Artistic Director of The Chase Brock Experience, the New York City-based contemporary dance company he founded in 2006.
You're one of the few artists I've ever met who's (just about) as concerned with the aesthetics of you company's website, materials and merchandise as you are with that of your artistic work! Why do you think presenting audiences with a complete, branded package is so important?
In short, because that's how I think we will survive -- and thrive -- as artists in 2009. I find much of the dance world, especially 'downtown dance,' to be far too insular and shortsighted in the sense of not reaching beyond the obvious audience base to try and speak to a larger and more diverse public, and as someone who is interested in reaching the broadest audience possible, I think it's essential to consider branding and marketing very seriously. I want our audiences to feel that every aspect of their experience has been addressed with care and meticulousness, from their first glance at our ad and the subsequent visit to our web site, to the atmosphere when they arrive at the performance venue, to the content, programming, design and execution of the performance, to the post-performance interaction and communication we engage in with our audience members.
Further to that, have you ever been criticized by the dance press or by other choreographers for having cool merchandise and/or a great website? If you're spending so much time making things look nice and connecting with your audiences off-stage you're not suffering for your art like you're supposed to be?
Yes, by the press. I'm not aware of other choreographers criticizing those aspects of my work, thought it's certainly possible. The web site has received almost unanimous praise, thanks in no small part to our incredible designer, Lisa Clayton of Starving Artist Web Design. I'm so bored by the idea that my putting a bit of thought and energy and care into developing a visual identity for my company somehow automatically means I must be neglecting the dancing, or taking precious time and energy away from my work in the studio. The fact is, I'm not taking time away -- I'm adding it. When we're preparing for a season, I get up at 6am and work in my office until about 9:15, then I'm in the studio by 10. I usually have a series of afternoon meetings starting around 3 or 4pm, and then either return to rehearsal or to my office to work from about 6 to 10pm, followed by answering e-mails or reading until about midnight, when I go to sleep. Every artistic director, especially one leading a young nonprofit organization in New York City in 2009, has enormous responsibilities that extend far beyond his primary creative work, and I'm certainly not apologizing for that. I'm celebrating the fact that we all somehow find the energy for it.
You come from the theater world, correct? Do you think Broadway is currently undergoing a transformation, tapping modern dance choreographers like Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening) and Karole Armitage (Hair) for productions rather than hiring choreographers who have made names for themselves in musical theater (e.g. Kathleen Marshall and Susan Stroman)? If that is the trend, how can shows expand their audiences by using choreographers who are fresh to Broadway?
I'd like to clarify where I come from. I started dancing when I was 6, and became increasingly serious about it as I grew older. At the same time, I also studied acting and performed in musical theater. When I was a teenager, I was studying ballet 6 days a week, with my dad driving me back and forth between schools (and between states), which ultimately led to the decision for me to homeschool, so that I could also find time to continue my acting and voice lessons. Dance was always my first love, but I kept having to choose between dance and theater. When I was offered summer scholarships to both Joffrey Ballet School and Broadway Theatre Project, I chose Broadway Theatre Project. In high school, when I had to choose between studying dance at Interlochen Arts Academy or moving to New York to train and audition independently, I chose to move to New York, and thankfully, Susan Stroman quickly cast me in her revival of The Music Man. So, even though I was dancing on Broadway by 16, I do come from the dance world, first and foremost.
I certainly hope Broadway is currently undergoing the transformation you describe. I think that would be thrilling. My favorite Broadway choreography from the past ten years has been Matthew Bourne's work on Swan Lake, Twyla Tharp's work on Movin' Out, Bill T. Jones's work on Spring Awakening, Karole Armitage's work on Hair, much of Mark Dendy's work on Taboo, much of Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear's work on Mary Poppins, and some of Twyla Tharp's work on The Times They Are A-Changin', though I also particularly loved Peter Darling's work on Billy Elliot, and he is a more traditional theater choreographer.
Dance is the most primal, most basic, most visceral of the performing arts, and audiences recognize that when they're confronted with first-rate dance. If Broadway producers and directors continue to reach out to quality choreographers and continue to challenge them to articulate their choreographic artistry and compositional skill in the theater, audiences are sure to take note.
Speaking of coming from theater, we were recently cracking up going through your press together: the writers just can't let go of you having worked on Broadway! You can't change where you came from, as they say, and I suspect you aren't planning on adapting your style to suit the press, either. But explain to us why contemporary dance critics seem to be immediately turned-off by Broadway credits. Why can't we all just get along?
First, I'd like to say that I'm very grateful to all of the critics who watch and write about my work, and for the consideration and coverage they continue to give my work. I think, in general, my work has actually been received quite well, however it is interesting to note that I don't believe my dance company has ever received a listing, feature or review that didn't include the word "Broadway" at some point along the way. I don't know why this is the case. I'm sure some writers mention it because they just find the work particularly theatrical, maybe others because they're familiar with some of my background and are trying to give context to the reader, certainly others because they glanced quickly at my bio and noted the Broadway credits. I'm sure there are a variety of reasons this happens, but it would be refreshing to open the paper and read a review that simply addressed the work at hand, and not the work, or presumed work, in my past.
Who are some of your favorite dance writers?
Edwin Denby and Arlene Croce's criticism and essays are probably my favorite, and I also love reading Joan Acocella (including her biography on Mark Morris). I love all of Susan Sontag's writing, including her essays on ballet. Same goes for Jean Cocteau. The best, most expert writer on dance -- and certainly on the choreographic process -- is the great Agnes de Mille. I have all of her books in my library, and often return to Dance to the Piper, To a Young Dancer and Martha, her incredible biography of Martha Graham. Another favorite of mine is Doris Humphrey's The Art of Making Dances. I think about her checklist every time I make a new dance. I also like Louis Horst's writing on composition and especially Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove and The Creative Habit, which have given me great comfort and companionship.
What are the main dance blogs? In classical music, a lot of the critics have personal blogs where they provide additional or different coverage. Is the same true for dance? Has anyone Tweeted from the wings of a performance, yet? Tweeted on their iPhone while performing? ("just did good arabesque. partner @balletdude29 squeezing ribs too tight.")
Actually, I'm not sure. The only blog I read obsessively is yours! I'm kind of new to the blog world, and would love to find a good dance blog. I know Doug Fox writes one called Great Dance, but I'm not sure of others. I will do some research on that. I love your idea of Tweeting from the wings of a performance, and I'm going to find a way to make that happen one of these days. If it's already been done, I'm not aware of it.
I've been going through a phase of wondering why performing arts journalism isn't completely multimedia-based; why do we write about performances when we could record video and audio and then provide personal insight while showing the actual event. Have you seen or experienced any interesting multimedia arts coverage in the dance world?
Last summer, I choreographed the opera Roméo et Juliette for the Salzburg Festival, and the premiere was broadcast (with several intermission interviews and commentary) live across Austria on the ORF network, as well as on giant outdoor television screens, then later released on DVD. It became such a communal event, which I loved. I'm a huge supporter of videotaping, filming and broadcasting dance, and I hope that practice expands more and more. New York Theatre Ballet, a really lovely chamber company now in their 30th year, has just announced an enormously exciting deal they've made with NCM Fathom to release a series of NYTB performances exclusively in select movie theaters nationwide, building on the success of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. I'm sort of still in shock that this is occurring with ballet! How incredible.
You're currently choreographing a ballet to my client Gabriel Kahane's debut album. If we can get music critics out to the performances at the Abrons Arts Center, how do you think they'll react? Has The Chase Brock Experience ever been reviewed by a non-dance critic before?
First, I'd like to say that Gabriel is no doubt one of the brightest talents of our generation, and I'm honored to be collaborating with him. I love the idea of music critics attending dance concerts, and think it could be lead to some fascinating criticism. Music is the primary impetus for my work as an artist, and I strive to create dances with the musical sensitivity, reverence and care that's evident in the work of great choreographers (and musicians) like Balanchine, Graham, Mark Morris and Jiri Kylian. I would hope that a music critic would recognize the musicality of the dancing, and perhaps even hear the music more clearly or more fully as a result. I like the idea of using dance to awaken or reignite familiar, beloved or forgotten pieces of music for audiences, and especially to introduce audience members to music they may not have heard before, and I'm certain that our upcoming performances will help to expand the audience for Gabriel's music, which excites me tremendously.
If you could offer one piece of advice about how to brand a completely new dance company, what would it be?
My advice would always be to start with the work, and to let that guide everything else. I didn't necessarily know exactly what we were doing when we started this company, but as we began to work and as we've continued to work regularly over the past three years, our artistic priorities and goals have become clearer, and I hope a sense of branding has emerged as an authentic, logical and fun expression of our mission.
Click here to buy tickets for the Chase Brock Experience spring performances, April 23-26, 2009.
Chase Brock is a 25-year old choreographer working in the areas of dance, theater, opera, television, film and music. Recently called "prolific" in The New Yorker, he is Artistic Director of The Chase Brock Experience, the New York City-based contemporary dance company he founded in 2006. You're one of the few artists I've ever met who's (just about) as concerned with the aesthetics of you company's website, materials and merchandise as you are with that of your artistic work! Why do you think presenting audiences with a complete, branded package is so important?
In short, because that's how I think we will survive -- and thrive -- as artists in 2009. I find much of the dance world, especially 'downtown dance,' to be far too insular and shortsighted in the sense of not reaching beyond the obvious audience base to try and speak to a larger and more diverse public, and as someone who is interested in reaching the broadest audience possible, I think it's essential to consider branding and marketing very seriously. I want our audiences to feel that every aspect of their experience has been addressed with care and meticulousness, from their first glance at our ad and the subsequent visit to our web site, to the atmosphere when they arrive at the performance venue, to the content, programming, design and execution of the performance, to the post-performance interaction and communication we engage in with our audience members.
Further to that, have you ever been criticized by the dance press or by other choreographers for having cool merchandise and/or a great website? If you're spending so much time making things look nice and connecting with your audiences off-stage you're not suffering for your art like you're supposed to be?
Yes, by the press. I'm not aware of other choreographers criticizing those aspects of my work, thought it's certainly possible. The web site has received almost unanimous praise, thanks in no small part to our incredible designer, Lisa Clayton of Starving Artist Web Design. I'm so bored by the idea that my putting a bit of thought and energy and care into developing a visual identity for my company somehow automatically means I must be neglecting the dancing, or taking precious time and energy away from my work in the studio. The fact is, I'm not taking time away -- I'm adding it. When we're preparing for a season, I get up at 6am and work in my office until about 9:15, then I'm in the studio by 10. I usually have a series of afternoon meetings starting around 3 or 4pm, and then either return to rehearsal or to my office to work from about 6 to 10pm, followed by answering e-mails or reading until about midnight, when I go to sleep. Every artistic director, especially one leading a young nonprofit organization in New York City in 2009, has enormous responsibilities that extend far beyond his primary creative work, and I'm certainly not apologizing for that. I'm celebrating the fact that we all somehow find the energy for it.
You come from the theater world, correct? Do you think Broadway is currently undergoing a transformation, tapping modern dance choreographers like Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening) and Karole Armitage (Hair) for productions rather than hiring choreographers who have made names for themselves in musical theater (e.g. Kathleen Marshall and Susan Stroman)? If that is the trend, how can shows expand their audiences by using choreographers who are fresh to Broadway?
I'd like to clarify where I come from. I started dancing when I was 6, and became increasingly serious about it as I grew older. At the same time, I also studied acting and performed in musical theater. When I was a teenager, I was studying ballet 6 days a week, with my dad driving me back and forth between schools (and between states), which ultimately led to the decision for me to homeschool, so that I could also find time to continue my acting and voice lessons. Dance was always my first love, but I kept having to choose between dance and theater. When I was offered summer scholarships to both Joffrey Ballet School and Broadway Theatre Project, I chose Broadway Theatre Project. In high school, when I had to choose between studying dance at Interlochen Arts Academy or moving to New York to train and audition independently, I chose to move to New York, and thankfully, Susan Stroman quickly cast me in her revival of The Music Man. So, even though I was dancing on Broadway by 16, I do come from the dance world, first and foremost.
I certainly hope Broadway is currently undergoing the transformation you describe. I think that would be thrilling. My favorite Broadway choreography from the past ten years has been Matthew Bourne's work on Swan Lake, Twyla Tharp's work on Movin' Out, Bill T. Jones's work on Spring Awakening, Karole Armitage's work on Hair, much of Mark Dendy's work on Taboo, much of Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear's work on Mary Poppins, and some of Twyla Tharp's work on The Times They Are A-Changin', though I also particularly loved Peter Darling's work on Billy Elliot, and he is a more traditional theater choreographer.
Dance is the most primal, most basic, most visceral of the performing arts, and audiences recognize that when they're confronted with first-rate dance. If Broadway producers and directors continue to reach out to quality choreographers and continue to challenge them to articulate their choreographic artistry and compositional skill in the theater, audiences are sure to take note.
Speaking of coming from theater, we were recently cracking up going through your press together: the writers just can't let go of you having worked on Broadway! You can't change where you came from, as they say, and I suspect you aren't planning on adapting your style to suit the press, either. But explain to us why contemporary dance critics seem to be immediately turned-off by Broadway credits. Why can't we all just get along?
First, I'd like to say that I'm very grateful to all of the critics who watch and write about my work, and for the consideration and coverage they continue to give my work. I think, in general, my work has actually been received quite well, however it is interesting to note that I don't believe my dance company has ever received a listing, feature or review that didn't include the word "Broadway" at some point along the way. I don't know why this is the case. I'm sure some writers mention it because they just find the work particularly theatrical, maybe others because they're familiar with some of my background and are trying to give context to the reader, certainly others because they glanced quickly at my bio and noted the Broadway credits. I'm sure there are a variety of reasons this happens, but it would be refreshing to open the paper and read a review that simply addressed the work at hand, and not the work, or presumed work, in my past.
Who are some of your favorite dance writers?
Edwin Denby and Arlene Croce's criticism and essays are probably my favorite, and I also love reading Joan Acocella (including her biography on Mark Morris). I love all of Susan Sontag's writing, including her essays on ballet. Same goes for Jean Cocteau. The best, most expert writer on dance -- and certainly on the choreographic process -- is the great Agnes de Mille. I have all of her books in my library, and often return to Dance to the Piper, To a Young Dancer and Martha, her incredible biography of Martha Graham. Another favorite of mine is Doris Humphrey's The Art of Making Dances. I think about her checklist every time I make a new dance. I also like Louis Horst's writing on composition and especially Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove and The Creative Habit, which have given me great comfort and companionship.
What are the main dance blogs? In classical music, a lot of the critics have personal blogs where they provide additional or different coverage. Is the same true for dance? Has anyone Tweeted from the wings of a performance, yet? Tweeted on their iPhone while performing? ("just did good arabesque. partner @balletdude29 squeezing ribs too tight.")
Actually, I'm not sure. The only blog I read obsessively is yours! I'm kind of new to the blog world, and would love to find a good dance blog. I know Doug Fox writes one called Great Dance, but I'm not sure of others. I will do some research on that. I love your idea of Tweeting from the wings of a performance, and I'm going to find a way to make that happen one of these days. If it's already been done, I'm not aware of it.
I've been going through a phase of wondering why performing arts journalism isn't completely multimedia-based; why do we write about performances when we could record video and audio and then provide personal insight while showing the actual event. Have you seen or experienced any interesting multimedia arts coverage in the dance world?
Last summer, I choreographed the opera Roméo et Juliette for the Salzburg Festival, and the premiere was broadcast (with several intermission interviews and commentary) live across Austria on the ORF network, as well as on giant outdoor television screens, then later released on DVD. It became such a communal event, which I loved. I'm a huge supporter of videotaping, filming and broadcasting dance, and I hope that practice expands more and more. New York Theatre Ballet, a really lovely chamber company now in their 30th year, has just announced an enormously exciting deal they've made with NCM Fathom to release a series of NYTB performances exclusively in select movie theaters nationwide, building on the success of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. I'm sort of still in shock that this is occurring with ballet! How incredible.
You're currently choreographing a ballet to my client Gabriel Kahane's debut album. If we can get music critics out to the performances at the Abrons Arts Center, how do you think they'll react? Has The Chase Brock Experience ever been reviewed by a non-dance critic before?
First, I'd like to say that Gabriel is no doubt one of the brightest talents of our generation, and I'm honored to be collaborating with him. I love the idea of music critics attending dance concerts, and think it could be lead to some fascinating criticism. Music is the primary impetus for my work as an artist, and I strive to create dances with the musical sensitivity, reverence and care that's evident in the work of great choreographers (and musicians) like Balanchine, Graham, Mark Morris and Jiri Kylian. I would hope that a music critic would recognize the musicality of the dancing, and perhaps even hear the music more clearly or more fully as a result. I like the idea of using dance to awaken or reignite familiar, beloved or forgotten pieces of music for audiences, and especially to introduce audience members to music they may not have heard before, and I'm certain that our upcoming performances will help to expand the audience for Gabriel's music, which excites me tremendously.
If you could offer one piece of advice about how to brand a completely new dance company, what would it be?
My advice would always be to start with the work, and to let that guide everything else. I didn't necessarily know exactly what we were doing when we started this company, but as we began to work and as we've continued to work regularly over the past three years, our artistic priorities and goals have become clearer, and I hope a sense of branding has emerged as an authentic, logical and fun expression of our mission.
Click here to buy tickets for the Chase Brock Experience spring performances, April 23-26, 2009.
No pitchin' this week, as I am out of our fair country.
I have, however, (pre)prepared some lovely interviews to be automatically posted, so please keep stopping by. I should be able to approve comments every day, though perhaps not at the precise moment you submit them.
I have, however, (pre)prepared some lovely interviews to be automatically posted, so please keep stopping by. I should be able to approve comments every day, though perhaps not at the precise moment you submit them.
When the planets align, it's a Friday and I have my act together, I interview someone far more knowledgeable than I am about specific marketing and publicity topics. Today we have Ben Chan, who I e-met when he interviewed Hilary via video Skype about the YouTube Symphony. In the spirit of Ben's extremely successful and time-consuming hobby, he has answered my questions on YouTube.
Ben Chan is a founder of ChamberHymns.com, a website dedicated to online instructional videos for violin, as well as the Music Chairman of WoogiWorld.com, a virtual world for kids that emphasizes Internet Safety and Education. He has won numerous prizes on violin, including a spot in the 2009 YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and has a growing YouTube channel with 1.5 million video hits.
How long have you been a YouTuber? How did you first hear about it? I don't remember YouTube's arrival on the scene, who even knows what I was doing...
What did you intend the channel to be, and what has it become?
You have 7,605 subscribers and 137,683 channel views (as of April 8 at 11:21pm)! Not too shabby. What about your channel makes people eager for updates?
What's the most positive feedback you've received? The most negative?
Is YouTube for everyone, or does it take a certain personality? Why YouTube for you: why not a blog, Twitter feed or podcasts? When should an artist absolutely not have a YouTube channel?
Have you seen any successful examples of arts presenter or orchestra YouTube channels? If not, what would constitute a successful presenter/orchestra channel?
Do you foresee a time - or are we there? - where master classes, lessons, auditions orchestra rehearsals can be, for lack of a better word, conducted on YouTube? What do we lose and what do we gain going from in-person to video?
You've performing with the YouTube Symphony next week! Do you think the YouTube Symphony initiative reached new audiences for classical music or was focused on connecting existing musicians around the globe?
How has the concert next week been promoted? Were print/banner ads taken out in NYC media, or was all marketing viral through YouTube and the press the project generated? Are they expecting the concert to sell out? Does that even matter?
Will Wednesday's concert be streamed live on YouTube? Was it ever a possibility to just have the performance at Carnegie (for the acoustics, cache, etc.) without a live audience? With "audience" members filming themselves watching the concert and applauding and then posting those videos on YouTube?
Best female violinist whose last name rhymes with "on" you've ever interviewed?
To make sure Ben's a real person, go see him live on April 15th. Tickets here. I'll be out of town, so I'm going to need some YouTube Symphony reader reports, namely, how full the house was, what the crowd looked like, and what the general atmosphere was, energy-wise.
Ben Chan is a founder of ChamberHymns.com, a website dedicated to online instructional videos for violin, as well as the Music Chairman of WoogiWorld.com, a virtual world for kids that emphasizes Internet Safety and Education. He has won numerous prizes on violin, including a spot in the 2009 YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and has a growing YouTube channel with 1.5 million video hits.How long have you been a YouTuber? How did you first hear about it? I don't remember YouTube's arrival on the scene, who even knows what I was doing...
What did you intend the channel to be, and what has it become?
You have 7,605 subscribers and 137,683 channel views (as of April 8 at 11:21pm)! Not too shabby. What about your channel makes people eager for updates?
What's the most positive feedback you've received? The most negative?
Is YouTube for everyone, or does it take a certain personality? Why YouTube for you: why not a blog, Twitter feed or podcasts? When should an artist absolutely not have a YouTube channel?
Have you seen any successful examples of arts presenter or orchestra YouTube channels? If not, what would constitute a successful presenter/orchestra channel?
Do you foresee a time - or are we there? - where master classes, lessons, auditions orchestra rehearsals can be, for lack of a better word, conducted on YouTube? What do we lose and what do we gain going from in-person to video?
You've performing with the YouTube Symphony next week! Do you think the YouTube Symphony initiative reached new audiences for classical music or was focused on connecting existing musicians around the globe?
How has the concert next week been promoted? Were print/banner ads taken out in NYC media, or was all marketing viral through YouTube and the press the project generated? Are they expecting the concert to sell out? Does that even matter?
Will Wednesday's concert be streamed live on YouTube? Was it ever a possibility to just have the performance at Carnegie (for the acoustics, cache, etc.) without a live audience? With "audience" members filming themselves watching the concert and applauding and then posting those videos on YouTube?
Best female violinist whose last name rhymes with "on" you've ever interviewed?
To make sure Ben's a real person, go see him live on April 15th. Tickets here. I'll be out of town, so I'm going to need some YouTube Symphony reader reports, namely, how full the house was, what the crowd looked like, and what the general atmosphere was, energy-wise.
The Site Formerly Known as YouTube, now called "Google's YouTube", and the Universal Music Group (now and forever) are launching a joint music video site called "Vevo":
Google's YouTube and Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company, said on Thursday they will launch a premium music video website as they bid to increase revenue from YouTube's huge usage.
The new advertiser-supported site, featuring professional videos, will be called Vevo and is expected to launch in coming months, the companies said.
The deal is a boost for YouTube, which has been under increasing pressure from music labels and publishers who are frustrated that the popular site has been unable to pay higher fees for rights to use their music and videos. [Reuters]
The Reuters piece goes onto explain that the videos will be higher quality than the usual YouTube fare, and that UMG will reach out to EMI Group and Sony Music to expand content opportunities.
I'm interested if anyone has ever seen a good classical-music music video? Every one I've ever seen has been an unmitigated disaster, with the artists (or whomever's driving the bus) trying to be something they're not.
It appears New York Times writer and Time Out New York music editor Steve Smith is the latest victim of the Siren Twitter's call.
But what is this? My heart be still: it looks like he's going to Tweet about receiving CDs in the mail and getting off the phone with interviewees! Does it make me the Biggest Publicity Nerd in the Land if that's the best news I've heard all week?
Finally someone is going to put the day-to-day (and night-after-night) life and times of a music critic out in the open. If Steve live-Tweets a Times assignment meeting...well, I just don't know what I would do.
Follow him here.
But what is this? My heart be still: it looks like he's going to Tweet about receiving CDs in the mail and getting off the phone with interviewees! Does it make me the Biggest Publicity Nerd in the Land if that's the best news I've heard all week?
Showered with beauty by today's mail: new CDs from Christopher Tignor, Peter Garland, John Luther Adams, Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Just off the phone with Asher Roth: as good an interviewee as I'd expected him to be, and confident in exactly the right way.3:07 PM Apr 7th from web
I was supposed to write "Just off the phone with @asherroth," wasn't I? NOOB.
Finally someone is going to put the day-to-day (and night-after-night) life and times of a music critic out in the open. If Steve live-Tweets a Times assignment meeting...well, I just don't know what I would do.
Follow him here.
(From Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes blog)
Take a gander at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's rockin' "Rivals in Renaissance Venice" microsite:
Intriguing, informative, and aesthetically-pleasing. Triple-threat!
Will Schirmer's new SchirmerOnDemand have cool e-musicologists - or perhaps even e-versions of the composers themselves?? - guiding us through their scores? My registration is pending, but Molly Sheridan has her review of the site here.
Take a gander at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's rockin' "Rivals in Renaissance Venice" microsite:
Intriguing, informative, and aesthetically-pleasing. Triple-threat!Will Schirmer's new SchirmerOnDemand have cool e-musicologists - or perhaps even e-versions of the composers themselves?? - guiding us through their scores? My registration is pending, but Molly Sheridan has her review of the site here.
I'm on a use-me-and-abuse-me kick. I want to be pitched more when I'm inside venues, in case you didn't get the message here and here.
I saw the movie Sunshine Cleaning two weekends ago, and for the first time was interested in every single film that was previewed. They were, in order, Sleep Dealer, Brothers Bloom, Cheri, Adventureland, 500 Days of Summer, The Soloist (but only because I spotted the back of Esa-Pekka Salonen's head in the preview and got excited), and The Limits of Control. I anticipated that the "Feature Presentation" would be great because the previews were all so intriguing, and I was correct.
Remember the first time you saw commercials in the movie theater? SO ANNOYING, I remember thinking, but in retrospect (and now that I'm used to it), why not? We're all sitting there with nothing to do before a movie starts; why wouldn't you advertise the soda audience members can easily go out and buy right in the lobby? Why wouldn't you advertise...just about anything? We can't go into the kitchen and wash dishes while the commercials are on if we're in a movie theater. [Particularly disturbing to me are the G.I. Joe-esque Army "music videos" that often appear before action films, but unfortunately, those, too, make a lot of sense in that spot.] Movie previews are certainly advertisements, they're just entertaining and in the spirit of your afternoon/evening plans so you don't notice them as much. You also expect them, just like you expect TV commercials, and no one is terribly bothered. Except when there are circa twenty of them, but that's another matter entirely.
Why aren't there previews at performing arts centers? Depending on the amount of programming, venues could produce a different preview reel each month, or perhaps just one for the fall season and one for the spring season. Video editing, while I realize is an art form in its own right, can be done fairly simply and quickly on most computers, and consequently preview reels could be done in-house at a lot of places. Would it be irritating to watch footage of upcoming performances while waiting for a concert to start? I don't think so; you can still talk to your friend or read your program, there will just be background noise/visuals. As Dan Johnson commented here, the trailers in The Met lobby - and if I may add, the trailers in lobby at New York City Ballet performances - are effective; why can't those be shown on big screens in the houses? Additionally, programs advertise upcoming concerts already, so it would be hard for patrons to complain. Sometimes I think that we forget we work in the performing arts, that we're in the business of genres which are meant to be seen and heard, not printed flat in brochures.
A huge problem with this idea is that managers and publicists, myself included, often don't have good video footage of their clients performing. Again, at a time when most computers record video and Flip cameras cost $59.99, there's really no excuse.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but archival footage taken by an orchestra should be usable within the venue with the soloists' permission, correct? There wouldn't be union problems with that? If Hilary was playing with an orchestra she'd play with in the past, they could use their footage to preview her next appearance in-house with her permission? Venues with multi-genre programming, like BAM - the Brooklyn Academy of Music - or The Kennedy Center would also be great places for previews using in-house archival footage, because they could showcase theater, opera, dance and music programming to audiences who might not go to that section of their website or those pages in their season brochure.
And typing of the movies, The Metropolitan Opera has outdone themselves again with their new New York Times banner ad:
The video embedded in the ad features both clips from past productions and interviews with audience members in the lobby about their experiences, a la many movie television commercials.
I saw the movie Sunshine Cleaning two weekends ago, and for the first time was interested in every single film that was previewed. They were, in order, Sleep Dealer, Brothers Bloom, Cheri, Adventureland, 500 Days of Summer, The Soloist (but only because I spotted the back of Esa-Pekka Salonen's head in the preview and got excited), and The Limits of Control. I anticipated that the "Feature Presentation" would be great because the previews were all so intriguing, and I was correct.
Remember the first time you saw commercials in the movie theater? SO ANNOYING, I remember thinking, but in retrospect (and now that I'm used to it), why not? We're all sitting there with nothing to do before a movie starts; why wouldn't you advertise the soda audience members can easily go out and buy right in the lobby? Why wouldn't you advertise...just about anything? We can't go into the kitchen and wash dishes while the commercials are on if we're in a movie theater. [Particularly disturbing to me are the G.I. Joe-esque Army "music videos" that often appear before action films, but unfortunately, those, too, make a lot of sense in that spot.] Movie previews are certainly advertisements, they're just entertaining and in the spirit of your afternoon/evening plans so you don't notice them as much. You also expect them, just like you expect TV commercials, and no one is terribly bothered. Except when there are circa twenty of them, but that's another matter entirely.
Why aren't there previews at performing arts centers? Depending on the amount of programming, venues could produce a different preview reel each month, or perhaps just one for the fall season and one for the spring season. Video editing, while I realize is an art form in its own right, can be done fairly simply and quickly on most computers, and consequently preview reels could be done in-house at a lot of places. Would it be irritating to watch footage of upcoming performances while waiting for a concert to start? I don't think so; you can still talk to your friend or read your program, there will just be background noise/visuals. As Dan Johnson commented here, the trailers in The Met lobby - and if I may add, the trailers in lobby at New York City Ballet performances - are effective; why can't those be shown on big screens in the houses? Additionally, programs advertise upcoming concerts already, so it would be hard for patrons to complain. Sometimes I think that we forget we work in the performing arts, that we're in the business of genres which are meant to be seen and heard, not printed flat in brochures.
A huge problem with this idea is that managers and publicists, myself included, often don't have good video footage of their clients performing. Again, at a time when most computers record video and Flip cameras cost $59.99, there's really no excuse.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but archival footage taken by an orchestra should be usable within the venue with the soloists' permission, correct? There wouldn't be union problems with that? If Hilary was playing with an orchestra she'd play with in the past, they could use their footage to preview her next appearance in-house with her permission? Venues with multi-genre programming, like BAM - the Brooklyn Academy of Music - or The Kennedy Center would also be great places for previews using in-house archival footage, because they could showcase theater, opera, dance and music programming to audiences who might not go to that section of their website or those pages in their season brochure.
And typing of the movies, The Metropolitan Opera has outdone themselves again with their new New York Times banner ad:
The video embedded in the ad features both clips from past productions and interviews with audience members in the lobby about their experiences, a la many movie television commercials.
I roll my eyes at myself when I write about manicures, facials, etc. on this blog, so I can only imagine how you all react. That said, there's no use pretending I'm something I'm not, so, onward...
I got a facial at a lovely little shop called Ling on the Upper West Side a couple weeks back. Turns out, the place was a hotbed (hot...compress?) of good marketing ideas. At one point during the facial, the woman Wendy asked how I'd heard about Ling. "New York Magazine", I said. A listing in New York Magazine? "No, a friend-of-a-friend works there and she recommended Ling personally." OK, you get 10% off of this facial and all products. We have a referral program.
It occurred to me that, while venues often ask where I heard about them when I purchase tickets, none have ever offered a referral program like this. Case in point, I bought tickets at Symphony Space for the 'Keigwin Kabaret' at a friend's suggestion last week. It was the first time I'd ever been to the venue, and I'm actually going back tonight - for separate reasons, but for all they know I've become a regular supporter based on that first ticket purchase! My friend Megan should be given...something...for ostensibly getting me hooked. Obviously, referrals are a bit intangible, but it would be interesting to think about some kind of credit system for patrons who consistently bring in fresh bodies. 10 people write "Amanda Ameer" under how they heard about various performances and I then get a discount at the gift shop; 20 people credit me and I get a free ticket, so on, so forth.
When I was paying for my facial, minus 10%, Wendy said I would need another one in two months, and did I want to schedule that? I rarely plan things like this in advance, but then she mentioned I would get 20% off if I scheduled it now. "What?" I asked. "How is that good for you?" She explained that keeping customers coming back to them rather than losing us to one of the other thousand spas in the city was worth more than whatever that 20% would be in dollars. So if you need me on May 24th, I'll be at Ling.
Presumably we are all 100% behind the artistic product we put into this world, so logic would dictate that the time patrons would be most willing to buy additional tickets would be directly following a performance they've just enjoyed. With that in mind, why aren't box offices open after 8pm? They close when the performance starts, so love your experience or not, you're not buying another ticket after the show unless you go home to your computer. And even when box offices do stay open - and I've personally never seen one - where are the incentives to purchase more tickets or a even a subscription at that time?
Since I go to classical performances for work a lot, I'm probably not going to subscribe to Carnegie, the NY Philharmonic, etc.. But I do buy single theater tickets all the time, and no one has ever asked me to subscribe or buy more tickets at a performance. Unlike every theater critic in town, I completely loved Roundabout Theatre's recent Hedda Gabler, and faced with list of what Roundabout has coming up (Waiting for Godot, yes, The Philanthropist, yes, Distraction, yes, Bye Bye Birdie, yes please!), a discount, and an open box office, I would have subscribed to a New York theater for the first time on the spot. Why not get me while I'm there and Hedda-inspired? By the time the brochure comes or I get an e mail, I'm gone: it's too expensive, it's hard to plan ahead, etc.. But right after that Hedda Gabler? They owned me. Venues could offer 20% off first-time subscriptions for those who purchase during or directly after a performance, and 10% off any future single ticket. Isn't guaranteeing we'll come back worth more than, say $100, of lost income?
Another friend-of-a-friend had me trying scary heat yoga at Bikram Yoga Harlem at 6:45am all of last week. The studio charges $20 for students' first week of unlimited classes with mats and towels included, the idea being that you'll really see the effects of the practice after a week (not just one class), but that they don't expect you to keep paying class-by-class or purchasing "gear" until/unless you've really tried it. In my sweat-drenched haze, I found myself wondering about a $20 pass for orchestras; maybe the first week of the every season? Or for big presenters like The Kennedy Center or Lincoln Center. "Come to as many performances as you possibly can, and then decide whether or not you want to subscribe." That way, like the Bikram studio, orchestras and presenters will be selling a lifestyle change, not just a one-time experience. "It's fun to go to performances on a regular basis, but we don't expect you to realize that by buying single ticket after single ticket." Maybe it can't be $20 ($30? $50?), and there would be restrictions - patrons would have to live in New York City (because tourists could be here for a week and never intend to subscribe) and certain performances might be off limits - but I think it's worth a shot. [This is along the lines of a previous post, about all-you-can eat buffets.]
I got a facial at a lovely little shop called Ling on the Upper West Side a couple weeks back. Turns out, the place was a hotbed (hot...compress?) of good marketing ideas. At one point during the facial, the woman Wendy asked how I'd heard about Ling. "New York Magazine", I said. A listing in New York Magazine? "No, a friend-of-a-friend works there and she recommended Ling personally." OK, you get 10% off of this facial and all products. We have a referral program.
It occurred to me that, while venues often ask where I heard about them when I purchase tickets, none have ever offered a referral program like this. Case in point, I bought tickets at Symphony Space for the 'Keigwin Kabaret' at a friend's suggestion last week. It was the first time I'd ever been to the venue, and I'm actually going back tonight - for separate reasons, but for all they know I've become a regular supporter based on that first ticket purchase! My friend Megan should be given...something...for ostensibly getting me hooked. Obviously, referrals are a bit intangible, but it would be interesting to think about some kind of credit system for patrons who consistently bring in fresh bodies. 10 people write "Amanda Ameer" under how they heard about various performances and I then get a discount at the gift shop; 20 people credit me and I get a free ticket, so on, so forth.
When I was paying for my facial, minus 10%, Wendy said I would need another one in two months, and did I want to schedule that? I rarely plan things like this in advance, but then she mentioned I would get 20% off if I scheduled it now. "What?" I asked. "How is that good for you?" She explained that keeping customers coming back to them rather than losing us to one of the other thousand spas in the city was worth more than whatever that 20% would be in dollars. So if you need me on May 24th, I'll be at Ling.
Presumably we are all 100% behind the artistic product we put into this world, so logic would dictate that the time patrons would be most willing to buy additional tickets would be directly following a performance they've just enjoyed. With that in mind, why aren't box offices open after 8pm? They close when the performance starts, so love your experience or not, you're not buying another ticket after the show unless you go home to your computer. And even when box offices do stay open - and I've personally never seen one - where are the incentives to purchase more tickets or a even a subscription at that time?
Since I go to classical performances for work a lot, I'm probably not going to subscribe to Carnegie, the NY Philharmonic, etc.. But I do buy single theater tickets all the time, and no one has ever asked me to subscribe or buy more tickets at a performance. Unlike every theater critic in town, I completely loved Roundabout Theatre's recent Hedda Gabler, and faced with list of what Roundabout has coming up (Waiting for Godot, yes, The Philanthropist, yes, Distraction, yes, Bye Bye Birdie, yes please!), a discount, and an open box office, I would have subscribed to a New York theater for the first time on the spot. Why not get me while I'm there and Hedda-inspired? By the time the brochure comes or I get an e mail, I'm gone: it's too expensive, it's hard to plan ahead, etc.. But right after that Hedda Gabler? They owned me. Venues could offer 20% off first-time subscriptions for those who purchase during or directly after a performance, and 10% off any future single ticket. Isn't guaranteeing we'll come back worth more than, say $100, of lost income?
Another friend-of-a-friend had me trying scary heat yoga at Bikram Yoga Harlem at 6:45am all of last week. The studio charges $20 for students' first week of unlimited classes with mats and towels included, the idea being that you'll really see the effects of the practice after a week (not just one class), but that they don't expect you to keep paying class-by-class or purchasing "gear" until/unless you've really tried it. In my sweat-drenched haze, I found myself wondering about a $20 pass for orchestras; maybe the first week of the every season? Or for big presenters like The Kennedy Center or Lincoln Center. "Come to as many performances as you possibly can, and then decide whether or not you want to subscribe." That way, like the Bikram studio, orchestras and presenters will be selling a lifestyle change, not just a one-time experience. "It's fun to go to performances on a regular basis, but we don't expect you to realize that by buying single ticket after single ticket." Maybe it can't be $20 ($30? $50?), and there would be restrictions - patrons would have to live in New York City (because tourists could be here for a week and never intend to subscribe) and certain performances might be off limits - but I think it's worth a shot. [This is along the lines of a previous post, about all-you-can eat buffets.]
From The Guardian today:
Continue reading to learn about the launch of Gutter, "an experimental service designed to filter noteworthy liberal opinion from the cacophony of Twitter updates."Consolidating its position at the cutting edge of new media technology, the Guardian today announces that it will become the first newspaper in the world to be published exclusively via Twitter, the sensationally popular social networking service that has transformed online communication...
A mammoth project is also under way to rewrite the whole of the newspaper's archive, stretching back to 1821, in the form of tweets. Major stories already completed include "1832 Reform Act gives voting rights to one in five adult males yay!!!"; "OMG Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinyurl.com/b5x6e for more"; and "JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?"...
At a time of unprecedented challenge for all print media, many publications have rushed to embrace social networking technologies. Most now offer Twitter feeds of major breaking news headlines, while the Daily Mail recently pioneered an iPhone application providing users with a one-click facility for reporting suspicious behaviour by migrants or gays...
AJ Ads
Introducing
AJ Arts Blog Ads
Now you can reach the most discerning arts blog readers on the internet. Target individual blogs or topics in the ArtsJournal ad network.
Advertise Here
AJ Arts Blog Ads
Now you can reach the most discerning arts blog readers on the internet. Target individual blogs or topics in the ArtsJournal ad network.
Advertise Here
AJ Blogs
AJBlogCentral | rssculture
About Last Night
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
Artful Manager
Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture
Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture
blog riley
rock culture approximately
rock culture approximately
critical difference
Laura Collins-Hughes on arts, culture and coverage
Laura Collins-Hughes on arts, culture and coverage
Dewey21C
Richard Kessler on arts education
Richard Kessler on arts education
diacritical
Douglas McLennan's blog
Douglas McLennan's blog
Dog Days
Dalouge Smith advocates for the Arts
Dalouge Smith advocates for the Arts
Flyover
Art from the American Outback
Art from the American Outback
Life's a Pitch
For immediate release: the arts are marketable
For immediate release: the arts are marketable
Mind the Gap
No genre is the new genre
No genre is the new genre
Performance Monkey
David Jays on theatre and dance
David Jays on theatre and dance
Plain English
Paul Levy measures the Angles
Paul Levy measures the Angles
Real Clear Arts
Judith H. Dobrzynski on Culture
Judith H. Dobrzynski on Culture
Rockwell Matters
John Rockwell on the arts
John Rockwell on the arts
Straight Up |
Jan Herman - arts, media & culture with 'tude
Jan Herman - arts, media & culture with 'tude
dance
Foot in Mouth
Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance
Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance
Seeing Things
Tobi Tobias on dance et al...
Tobi Tobias on dance et al...
jazz
Jazz Beyond Jazz
Howard Mandel's freelance Urban Improvisation
Howard Mandel's freelance Urban Improvisation
ListenGood
Focus on New Orleans. Jazz and Other Sounds
Focus on New Orleans. Jazz and Other Sounds
Rifftides
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
media
Out There
Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology
Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology
Serious Popcorn
Martha Bayles on Film...
Martha Bayles on Film...
classical music
Creative Destruction
Fresh ideas on building arts communities
Fresh ideas on building arts communities
The Future of Classical Music?
Greg Sandow performs a book-in-progress
Greg Sandow performs a book-in-progress
On the Record
Exploring Orchestras w/ Henry Fogel
Exploring Orchestras w/ Henry Fogel
Overflow
Harvey Sachs on music, and various digressions
Harvey Sachs on music, and various digressions
PianoMorphosis
Bruce Brubaker on all things Piano
Bruce Brubaker on all things Piano
PostClassic
Kyle Gann on music after the fact
Kyle Gann on music after the fact
Sandow
Greg Sandow on the future of Classical Music
Greg Sandow on the future of Classical Music
Slipped Disc
Norman Lebrecht on Shifting Sound Worlds
Norman Lebrecht on Shifting Sound Worlds
publishing
book/daddy
Jerome Weeks on Books
Jerome Weeks on Books
Quick Study
Scott McLemee on books, ideas & trash-culture ephemera
Scott McLemee on books, ideas & trash-culture ephemera
theatre
Drama Queen
Wendy Rosenfield: covering drama, onstage and off
Wendy Rosenfield: covering drama, onstage and off
lies like truth
Chloe Veltman on how culture will save the world
Chloe Veltman on how culture will save the world
visual
Aesthetic Grounds
Public Art, Public Space
Public Art, Public Space
Another Bouncing Ball
Regina Hackett takes her Art To Go
Regina Hackett takes her Art To Go
Artopia
John Perreault's art diary
John Perreault's art diary
CultureGrrl
Lee Rosenbaum's Cultural Commentary
Lee Rosenbaum's Cultural Commentary
Modern Art Notes
Tyler Green's modern & contemporary art blog
Tyler Green's modern & contemporary art blog
