My family and I have long been supporters of the performing arts, music in particular. My wife, Liz, is an active amateur musician, playing double bass and flute in several bands and orchestras. It’s an occupation that has given me a front row seat (often literally!) into how these organizations tend to operate.
One topic that comes up a lot when discussing the performing arts is the challenge of acquiring and sustaining subscribers, particularly for orchestras and other forms of classical music. The common refrain is that members of the current generation are just not joiners — they don’t like to subscribe to things. So, effectively, nothing can be done about that issue.
But if you dig deeper, you’ll find information that challenges that belief. Things like…
- The average American spends $924 a year for 4.5 subscriptions.
- Recurring payment volume for Stripe (a significant credit card processer) grew 16% faster than one-time payment volume in the 12 months ending June 2023.
Even just anecdotally, it’s evident that streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and the rest are quite popular, along with Amazon prime, wine of the month subscriptions, and more.
But as the leader of a performing arts organization, if you assume that, “members of the current generation are just not joiners,” you either ask the wrong questions in pursuit of a solution, or give in to that apparent reality and do nothing.
What’s the Right Issue?
As Americans (in particular, it seems), we tend to be hardwired to find the “right” answer. Maybe it’s due to the fact that answers in our educational system are more highly rewarded than questions. Or, maybe it’s because so many of our games and TV shows — from Trivial Pursuit to Jeopardy — are oriented in this way.
Of course, there are many benefits to this approach. But when attempting to solve a strategy challenge, ensuring we are addressing the underlying cause of a problem — and not just looking at a symptom — is a critical first step.
Ask the Right Questions
So, how do you make sure you are asking the right questions to begin with? Here are a few suggestions.
Seek an objective perspective.
Understand that you and your team may be too close to the situation. Circumstances in which “everyone knows what the problem is” should be seen as red flags and at least worthy of further investigation.
Try to involve other points of view, whether from people within your organization who are not as close to the question at hand, or outside advisors. With a fresh look and few baked-in biases, these people can often see things you missed — or disregarded.
Think deeply.
While working at the Boston Consulting Group, we utilized an approach known internally as the “Five Whys.” As you consider the problem, ask why that is. For that response, ask again. Repeat the process five times.
For example, I worked with a museum seeking help in bringing its retail operation online as a way to boost revenue. But as we dove deeper and kept asking “why,” we discovered there were much greater opportunities for revenue growth by focusing on which products they carried and how many different products were offered in the physical shop, rather than exploring online options.
Addressing the subsequent “whys” and their answers helps get you closer to the root cause of a situation. From there, you can consider alternatives or do additional research if you find yourself unable to answer any of the “whys” which emerge.
Consider all options.
Even when the right cause is identified, it’s tempting to latch onto the first reasonable solution and run with it. Instead, challenge yourself to come up with a few alternative answers to the situation. This may lead to even better approaches that would be missed by settling too quickly.
In the case of revenue and audience challenges for classical music, advisors often have to remind leaders — who are understandably aficionados of the genre — that the quality of the performance or choice of music is rarely the problem (few audience members ever tell an orchestra they need more Beethoven … or less Beethoven). Too much attention in this area can cause leaders to miss other, more important issues to address. They need to look elsewhere to understand why some orchestras fare better than others.
Reflections
One common element behind each of these suggestions is a bit of timeless advice that applies in so many situations: Take a breath. Resist the urge to rush to a solution; first step back and spend time to make sure you fully understand the situation.
While it is not helpful to descend into extended analysis paralysis, there is a lot of space between that and an instant response — especially one that may miss the larger point entirely.
