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Does Gatekeeping Actually Create Better Experiences?

December 9, 2025

by:

Joe Patti

Every so often someone asks where the protest songs are during times of social unrest. Where are the songs commenting on social issues and fears?

It occurred to me that a lot of the songs people are thinking about when they make these comments were chosen by gatekeepers. From Woody Guthrie to Rage Against the Machine, hip-hop and rap, folk songs and rock songs, someone at a radio station or record label decided to play and promote these songs and not play other songs.

I am certainly revealing my generational biases when I mention songs like Nina’s “99 Luftballons,” Genesis’ “Land of Confusion,” Sting’s “Hope the Russians Love Their Children Too,” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young” as expressing fears about nuclear war.

There was a lot of social commentary in the early songs of U2 and Midnight Oil. Rush’s “Subdivisions.”

There are a ton more I can name but you’re not coming here to read an interminable list of my reminiscing.

There were obviously a lot of great artists whose work went unrecognized due to gatekeeping. And a lot of artists that got cheated out of what they earned by those taking advantage of their ignorance.

I certainly realize that even before people shifted away from listening to terrestrial radio stations, the use of algorithms to optimize listenership was already making radio playlists incredibly homogenous and also marginalizing talented artists.

But while streaming platforms like Spotify broadened access to music that suited consumers’ tastes and interests, they also introduced the tyranny of choice creating a tendency for people to gravitate toward what they already know.

The fact one can isolate their musical experience to themselves via headphones is probably also a factor. My musical tastes expanded and changed quite a bit thanks to roommates who introduced me to their favorites and accompanied me to concerts. (Not to mention, dorm mates blasting music into the halls. My first weekend in college, I was force fed the Beastie Boys.)

As I am reading the thoughts of other colleagues in the arts and culture industry on subjects like marketing, audience relations, programming, etc., there is an underlying message about a responsibility to create experiences that align with the expectations and needs audiences hope to fulfill.

To a great degree, professionals at exhibit and live performing arts organizations function as gatekeepers.

So I wonder if part of the reason there aren’t a lot of songs of protest and social criticism in popular music at times when there is social unrest is because there are no gatekeepers who feel obligated to pay attention to evolving tastes and interests of consumers.

Audience Relations, General Musings, Marketing/PR

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Yinzers Turning Out For The Symphony

December 8, 2025

by:

Joe Patti

I saw that the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra had a $2 million surplus for their 2025 fiscal year ending August 31 and the largest annual ticket sales since pre-pandemic.

I was curious to see what they may have been doing to realize that success. Most of the programming seemed typical for a symphony with a mix of classical and pops. Though it appears they have a speaker series on topics unrelated to the music they perform.

Their Fiddlesticks children’s music series is celebrating 35 years in 2026. It looks like they encourage kids to get up to sing and dance during these experiences. They also have a Peppa Pig themed interactive “My First Concert” event. Perhaps this hands on approach creates a welcoming context which permeates the rest of their events.

There is a Discovery & Drinks series in venues outside of their concert spaces which provides an opportunity to interact more closely with the musicians.

Their Impact report talks a bit more about the type of programs they offered last year. Their cellists collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma on an arrangement of Fred Rogers’ songs struck me as particularly well designed for local audiences. You may remember that Pittsburgh was Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. They also had some other guest artists in Nas, Shaggy, and Ray Angry that probably engaged audiences who didn’t normally attend their concerts as well as shifted the perception for long time audiences about what a concert experience can be.

If anyone has attended PSO shows in recent seasons and can offer some comments about what they are doing right, let me know.

Arts in an Age of Technology, Audience Relations, Building Public Will For Arts And Culture, Business Models, Fundraising, Marketing/PR, Working In The Arts

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Billions Sold Doesn’t Mean All Is Well

December 2, 2025

by:

Joe Patti

There was an opinion piece by Damien Davis on Hyperallergic last month addressing the problems with the art world which are missed or glossed over by the news that Christie’s auction house sold $2.2 billion in art in November.

Davis says that the fact this is an increase over their annual auction last year is taken as a sign that the art market is healthy. However, it obscures the fact that artists are struggling more than ever with rising material and space expenses along with lack of health care because they don’t materially benefit when their works resell.

I have spent over a decade now talking about how economic activity is not a valid metric of the value of art and culture. Davis’ observation that it isn’t a valid measure of the health of arts and culture in society is a corollary to that.

The title of this post is a reference to the McDonalds signs that claimed billions were sold. Those signs were phased out years ago and I wonder if that might have been out of a recognition that the claim wasn’t providing compelling evidence of their success.

The purchase prices are often a reflection of costly signaling to peers by those who can afford the cost.

The opinion piece is fairly long and covers a lot of the unequal relationships artists and even galleries end up having with collectors. Davis lists some warning signs for artists that a collector may be pursuing acquisition of their work as a commodity to quickly flip rather than having a sincere interest in their work.

There was one section that seemed to echo some of the conversations currently occurring regarding the relationship between arts organizations and audiences and in some cases, donors. Many arts and cultural organizations employ a version of the “if you build it, they will come,” philosophy where they expect if they advertise an opportunity, people should come rather than positioning the opportunity as a solution to a problem the person has.

Davis says institutions often ask artists for art donations without really establishing a relationship, but expecting gratitude. One frequent complaint from audiences is that immediately after making their first purchase and attending their first event at an organization, a solicitation for a donation pops up in their inbox.

There has been discussion in arts and cultural spaces about allowing people to develop a relationship with your organization (and vice versa) before doing that, but there are still many places that continue to employ this practice.

Institutions ask artists to donate work, sometimes before ever engaging with them in any meaningful way. The ask arrives without context, yet the expectation is gratitude. The labor, time, and material investment behind the work is taken for granted. And collectors often imagine that acquiring a work once is enough to establish a relationship of care, but too many treat acquisition as a strategy rather than a commitment. They join boards, influence institutional priorities, and quietly use the language of stewardship to shape the future value of their holdings. The support is not always malicious, but it is rarely neutral.

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This situation isn’t just an isolated experience for visual artists. Performers are often asked to donate their time and talent to causes. It has been awhile since I have heard anyone complain they were asked to do something for the exposure, but I am sure plenty of people are still getting some form of that request.

Davis notes that artists pretty much provide museums (and performing arts venues) with legitimacy and credibility rather than the other way around. If a museum is noted for their collection or their ability to secure interesting work, it is a result of the participation they have received from artists in the past.

Museums often present acquisitions as gestures of generosity toward artists, when in reality it is the artist who lends legitimacy to the museum. The language is always the same. The acquisition is framed as a milestone or an honor, but the truth is simpler. Institutions rely on artists to produce the cultural meaning they then claim to protect. Without artists, museums are storage. With artists, they become authorities.

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Art(ist) Education, Audience Relations, Building Public Will For Arts And Culture, Business Models, Finance, Fundraising, Marketing/PR, Working In The Arts

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Holidays Are The Time To Design Experiences For Family And Friends

December 1, 2025

by:

Joe Patti

About a month ago, Colleen Dilenschneider and the folks at IMPACTS Experience made some suggestions for facilitating holiday season experiences based on trends they were seeing in survey data.

One of of the big things they noticed was that people are traveling much more than in the past, but attendance at cultural organization had been dropping during 2025.

The reasons for this is that while they were traveling more people were spending a shorter period of time away from home. Because so many people making attendance arrangements once they are in town rather than in advance, that represents a smaller window of opportunity.

Another reason is because people are traveling for the purpose of spending time with family and friends rather than spending time at a destination so the orientation is on being with others rather than seeing sites.

Given that visiting friends and family is the primary decision-making factor for travel this upcoming holiday season – rather than taking part in a specific activity – it will be critical for cultural entities to keep their eye on the ball when it comes to reminding folks of our power to create meaningful moments between loved ones.

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As readers might imagine, budgetary considerations also factor in to attendance plans at cultural organizations. Tangentially related to this, last week I noticed our bar revenue was down quite a bit over last year. Attendance at our events and those of renters has generally been within expectations over the last year, but apparently people were scaling back their spending in our bar and concessions.

There were a number of pieces of advice they offered for the holiday season and beyond. Among them were to lean into the traditional activities people engage in with family and friends around the holidays- Nutcracker performances, tree lighting, sing-a-long caroling, etc.

They also suggested looking at re-packaging and re-pricing experiences in order to position them as values. (my emphasis)

Introducing bundles of special experiences, highlighting membership loyalty tiers, and underscoring strategic, time-sensitive programs … To be clear, this is different than a discounting strategy! .. simply offering a discount ignores the fact that admission prices are rarely the primary cost-related obstacle for those interested in visiting a cultural organization. Instead, these cost and price-related strategies can help emphasize an emotional ROI – wonder per dollar, connection per hour.

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Another form of re-packing mentioned is condensing an experience for people who are short on time. It may take the form of a shortened tour that will hit the exciting highlights of a gallery or garden and end with a holiday themed snack or interaction. In some cases it may just be advertising an existing experience as specially designed for time pressed groups/families with fussy kids.

One of our annual renters does something long these lines. In early December, they do a full performance of The Nutcracker at a venue about 15 miles away. Then in the week before Christmas, they do a 45 minute version focused on the “sugar plum” elements of the show at my venue sometimes cranking out 2-3 performances a day for some pretty good sized audiences.

Related to goal of saving visitors’ time was the suggestion of digital tools to support and facilitate the visit. For example, for admission, information delivery, wayfinding, parking, etc. It isn’t just a matter of having these tools. Communicating that these tools exist and are available to ease a guest’s experience can aid in the decision to attend an event.

Audience Relations, Building Public Will For Arts And Culture, Marketing/PR

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