Abstract

In the past few years, growth in the area of cultural consumption has ground to a halt. Audience size is stagnant at best; in many areas it is shrinking. Lifestyles are changing. There is growing competition from less expensive and more convenient forms of entertainment. Also, the lack of arts education in the schools is having a negative effect upon the younger generations of potential audiences. Furthermore, the country's demographics are changing dramatically, and arts organizations must learn how to include members of diverse minorities among their audiences, boards of directors, donors, and volunteers. The key to continually sustaining and further developing cultural consumption at arts organizations, both the performing arts and museums, is to adopt a customer-centered approach to marketing. Successful arts organizations are those that systematically study customers' needs and wants, perceptions and attitudes, preferences and satisfactions; then act on this information.