This section houses research relating specifically to audience development. The two main issues covered by this section relate to attracting new audiences, and diversifying an existing audience base.

The research in this section should be seen as a complement to CultureHive and AudienceFinder: two relatively new resources that are rich with best practice guidance and insight.

The summaries in this category are:

Using social media to attract music tourists

This research was conducted by Angela Besana and Annamaria Esposito at IULM University, Italy

Summary

This paper describes how 'marketing and fundraising impact the economic performances of American symphony orchestras and opera houses’. Specifically, it looked at the way that the organisations make use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and …

Understanding arts engagement in Chinese cities

This research was conducted by Pascal Courty and Fenghua Zhang at the University of Victoria, Canada and Wuhan University, China

Summary

This paper analysed survey data to paint a picture of arts engagement in 13 different cities across China. The data was broken down by the demographic characteristics of the individuals …

Three big ideas for diversifying arts audiences

This research was conducted by Birgit Regina Mandel at the University of Hildesheim, Germany.

Summary

This paper charts an initiative called 'Intercultural Audience Development' designed to broaden and diversify the audiences for elite arts institutions in Germany. It found that diversification only happens when changes are made to the programming and …

Exploring why people use social media to engage with music

This research was conducted by Jari Salo, Mikko Lankinen and Matti Mäntymäki at the University of Oulu and University of Turku, Finland

Summary

By talking to music executives and music fans in Finland this study found five motives for using social media to connect with artists and other fans: accessing content …

How people understand social exclusion at music concerts

This research was conducted by Stijn Daenekindt at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Summary

This paper tackles the question of why people feel that some concerts are exclusive and excluding. The data comes from a survey of people in Belgium which included questions about attitudes towards classical and pop/rock concerts …

Satisfaction builds customer loyalty at a film festival

This research was conducted by Andrea Baez-Montenegro and Maria Devesa-Fernandez at Universidad Austral de Chile and Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

Summary

This paper examined the relationships between motivation, satisfaction and loyalty for attendees to the Valdivia International Film Festival in Chile. The research identified three categories of motivation (one relating to …

Lowering the cost of attendance does not necessarily increase accessibility for arts events

This research was conducted by Jessica Sherrod Hale and Joanna Woronkowicz at Indiana University, USA

Summary

This paper looked at the effects of arts programming at a large university campus in the United States. In 2016 Indiana University made a big investment in on-campus arts programming, including festivals with performances, film …

A museum's identity shapes its audiences' behaviour

This research was conducted by Shinwon Noh and Pamela S. Tolbert at Pace University and Cornell University, USA

Summary

This paper examined the effects of a museum’s identity on audience behaviour. The study divided audiences into critics, connoisseurs and casual consumers. It charted the way that different US museums classified …

The vital importance universal access to in-school arts activities

This research was conducted by Hei Wan Mak and Daisy Fancourt at University College London

Summary

This paper digs into survey data to reveal that while children’s out-of-school arts engagement is shaped by parental habits and social class, the same cannot be said for cultural activities that take place in …

Using an 'Index of Access' to measure the geographic inquality of cultural amenities

This research was conducted by Alisa V. Moldavanova, Lauren Meloche and T. Lyke Thompson at Wayne State University, USA

Summary

This paper investigated the ways in which residents of Detroit, Michigan experienced different levels of ‘access to cultural amenities’ in the city. The research was prompted by inequities revealed by the …