"First Steps t Making a Bold Decision" by Susan Yaeger

As much as symphony orchestras across America don’t like to think about it, the fact is that audiences have been shrinking over the past several years. The reasons for the decline vary by region but common factors include digital access to music, competition from the variety of entertainment options available, and certainly the impact of a slowed economy. 

We’ve also seen that many people feel that a symphony orchestra is a mystery. That it’s out of reach financially, culturally, and geographically. Many feel that they won’t know the ‘rules’ of attending a concert and so they never take the risk of sampling the symphony.

The RSO Board, led by the Marketing Committee, started taking a hard look at what we needed to do to turn this trend in our community. We know we have a unique treasure that needs to be shared with more people. The fact was that our audience has been shrinking, too, so we started taking a hard look in our own backyard.

Our research started two years ago with an in-depth focus group session. We assembled an animated group of people from the community who represented season ticket holders, single ticket buyers and non-concert goers, a mix of ages from 30 to 80 years old, plus sponsors, advertisers, and board members. This was an enlightening and open exchange of ideas and opinions, following the rule that ‘there are no bad ideas.’

We learned a lot about what motivates people in our community to attend the symphony, as well as the barriers that keep people away.

Motivators include things like:

o   Appreciation for symphonic music; I’m musically ‘educated’

o   As a community member, it’s my responsibility to support the symphony

o   Strong desire to learn and try something new

o   Opportunity to see friends

o   I want my children to have opportunities to gain an appreciation for the arts

Barriers include things like:

o   I don’t know if I will like the music; I’m not musically ‘educated’

o   I don’t know if I will feel comfortable or if people will accept me as I am

o   It costs too much, especially when I’m not sure I will like it

o   I can just listen to music at home

The insights we gained from this focus group session made a great impact on the marketing committee.  We made the comparison that people can enjoy wonderful movies in brilliant formats right at home. Yet they still love to see films at movie theaters. Why? Because it’s a different experience when it’s shared. The same is true with symphonic and pop music. To enjoy, not a recording, but a performance as a shared experience delivers a whole new level of satisfaction. Music is a very personal pleasure, yet to experience it with others is to expand the enjoyment beyond measure. That’s why people go to the movies. That’s why they go to concerts. There’s more magic when things are shared!

Come back to see the next steps in the journey to the New Richmond Symphony Orchestra.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­