Mark, I can’t quite tell if you’re being complimentary or cynical! I resigned from a quango that starved its staff of creativity and didnt look beyond the most pragmatic/policy based training. On the other hand, they knew there was a massive digital challenge. They also know for sure that audiences are literally dying off in the classical/orchestral sector, but it’s a sad fact that hierachical regionalised public sector cannot/does not move quickly, and subsidised arts orgs are often under-resourced or at the behest of a certain type of board or CEO.

In terms of audience development, Mark you’re right, but social media for me is just as much about homogenising audiences as segmenting them into marketing ‘types’. Previous direct marketing, publicity and promotion can be easily much more inclusive with social media, able to connect with the traditional audiences as much as the non-attenders. At a couple of clicks.

People are quite used to booking tickets online, so let’s encourage arts orgs and venues to offer people the chance to review shows, contribute to family friendly programming, see the story of a production rather than just the climax, get a real sense of the occasion without having always to go there, hear genuine audience reactions in the euphoria (or disappointment) of post-show discussions, let the musicians share their lives and routines through blogs…

It would be great if the arts led the way. After all, the best social media is ALL about being creative…