"Opera doesn't sell tickets"
The responsibility of arts organizations & the petulant arrogance conundrum of Arts Marketing
Over the past year, I’ve witnessed several people proverbially throw their hands in the air regarding their frustration of declining funding or ticket sales in the performing arts - notably more in the realm of classical music and opera.
It’s not a new notion, but one that continues shift accountability from the business model the organization and leadership has adopted to the product. This idea perpetuates the fallacy that the arts are unsustainable. In most countries, If the product your organization is offering is a public good/service, then your organization is eligible to received some protections like non-profit status or other benefits to offset the viability of your offering.
What really disheartens me is the idea that the product is the problem. With the insights in research regarding declining audiences and other metrics, the industry refuses to acknowledge their role. It’s similar to a chef whose restaurant closes saying “I guess people don’t like food.”
The Art of the Turnaround
The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts Organizations is Michael Kaiser's practical guide to revitalizing struggling arts institutions. Drawing on his successful leadership at organizations such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Royal Opera House, and the Kennedy Center, Kaiser outlines his principles for organizational transformation. The book is structured around ten "rules" that have guided his turnarounds, blending strategy with case studies and lessons from the field.
Kaiser emphasizes that effective arts leadership is not just about cutting costs—it’s about reigniting artistic excellence, energizing marketing efforts, rebuilding trust with donors, and committing to long-term planning. His core belief is that "great art, marketed well," is the most sustainable path forward for arts organizations.
While published in 2008, the tenets of his book are evergreen. And he has follow ups, especially regarding arts in the United States and the era of our technological society. We need continue this conversation later, but I’m absolutely Yes, AND-ing STEAM, not STEM.
There are also plenty of case studies of companies who have faced similar conundrums and their success has lied on vision, as well as the change in public perception of their product.
DE BEERS
Starting in the late 1930s, De Beers manufactured demand by linking diamonds to romance and commitment. The unified campaign, anchored by the slogan “A Diamond is Forever”, positioned diamond engagement rings as a cultural necessity. Strategic storytelling in magazines, films, and celebrity placements reinforced this ideal, while the “two months’ salary” guideline normalized high-value purchases. With one consistent, authoritative brand voice, De Beers transformed diamonds from a luxury for the few into a social expectation, embedding them in engagement traditions worldwide.
LEGO
In the early 2000s, LEGO refocused on its core “System of Play”—interlocking bricks compatible across all sets—while cutting unprofitable product lines. Strategic licensed collaborations with Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Marvel revitalized cultural relevance. Marketing shifted to unified, positive storytelling, with one clear brand voice emphasizing creativity and imagination. This disciplined approach, combined with fan engagement and cross-media ventures, transformed LEGO from near-bankruptcy into the world’s most profitable toy company.
OLD SPICE
In 2010, Old Spice shed its “grandfather’s cologne” image by introducing a bold, humorous campaign—The Man Your Man Could Smell Like—with a single charismatic spokesperson. The brand targeted both men and women, using playful storytelling and direct digital engagement through personalized YouTube responses. This fresh, unified voice, paired with strategic cross-gender marketing, revitalized relevance, leading to a triple-digit sales increase and cultural icon status.
The crisis in the performing arts isn’t the art—it’s the failure to market it with vision, courage, and relevance.
👏🏻👏🏻 Great post. And it’s not just diamonds that have to be forever, an experience at the opera can be forever too! And let’s also mention the enormous amount of talent that goes to waste because the companies choose to operate more like a gig economy for the oligarchs rather than be sustainable fixtures in their communities beyond the typical tokenism—imagine if we had more people clutching that idea of sustainability in the community instead of their pearls. There’s so much that can be done better if there’d be a willingness to even try.
Decline in audiences & ticket sales for opera has got to be related to the exclusivity that's promoted by the industry, and the cities that still have opera houses. If tickets are indeed 200 dollars on average. Aging-out of regular previous audiences and prohibitive pricing to attract younger audiences too..Live theatre as well I know was crashed by politically centered productions over the quality of story & dialogue writing .