Posted by Jason Ladd on April 19, 2002 at 13:13:19:
I received this in an e-mail from the ASOL:
A new national study finds that despite reports of declining symphony
attendance and financially ailing orchestras, classical music is alive
and well in the United States. Nationally, nearly 60 percent of adults
expressed at least some interest in classical music, and nearly one
third of them fit classical music into their lives regularly, at home or
while driving. However, less than 5 percent of adults in the survey are
regular patrons of their local orchestras. The study by the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation looked at fifteen major metropolitan and
mid-sized U.S. cities and found that three adults in ten are prospective
customers for their local orchestras.
Other findings: 18 percent of adults listen to classical music on the
radio either daily or several times a week, and 14 percent typically
listen to classical music recordings; most potential customers are not
inclined to subscribe to arts programs, but may prefer to make last-minute
decisions or attend on a less frequent basis; 14 percent of
single-ticket buyers say they are inclined o subscribe; 23 percent of subscribers
consider themselves "very knowledgeable" about classical music,
compared to 16 percent of single-ticket buyers; more than half of potential
classical consumers agree they are "much more likely to attend cultural
outings if someone else invited me." More than 13,500 adults took part
in the study, which was conducted by Audience Insight of Fairfield,
Conn. Results of the two-year effort were announced today at a retreat for
the Knight Foundation's Magic of Music Symphony Orchestra Initiative in
Miami.