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Edinburgh International Festival sees lowest non-pandemic audience, down 74% since 2019
Despite announcing a “10-year seat-filling record”, the Edinburgh International Festival recorded its lowest audience for a non-pandemic year. Attendance fell 12.6% (around 16,000 people) compared with 2024, and a striking 74% (324,000 people) below the pre-pandemic year of 2019. While selling 88% of available seats marks a
Jocelyn Burnham on using play to understand AI
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts Today, I‘m talking with Jocelyn Burnham, a speaker and AI communicator from AI for culture. AI is ever-present in our news cycle and a technology that both will and is transforming the world we live. On the one hand, it has incredible potential, making
Not all of The Proms are for you… and that’s the point
Like every summer, the BBC Proms are in full swing. And like every other Proms, people have strong opinions. As soon as they are announced, there is the usual pile-on from parts of the media about dumbing down, and from some sections of the audience and even the profession, that
Christopher Widauer on bringing about digital transformation in traditional organisations
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts Today I’m talking with Christopher Widauer, CEO of AMS and former Head of Digital Development at Vienna State Opera. Christopher has a wide-ranging career, with a speciality in all things digital. This includes the introduction of 2,100 tablets for interactive infotainment and seatback
Joe Perkins, Managing Director of Chaptr, on why arts websites should be destinations, not just listings
We talk about the role of websites in the arts, user experience, writing better briefs, designing for mobile, the impact of AI on search traffic, building websites on a budget, and why accessibility, inclusivity, and digital strategy matter for the future of cultural organisations.
An update from me and a new chapter for the blog
Hello! It’s been a busy few months — travel, talks, interviews, writing — and alongside all that, something quite big has been happening behind the scenes. This update is a little different to the normal newsletter, and I hope an exciting one. Thank you to everyone who took the time to
Review: London Mozart Players season trailer shows how everyone can make a great launch
Off the back of a recent survey about the blog, readers said they would like reviews on events, services, and campaigns. So, I'm trying something new... here's a review! It’s no secret that I am fascinated by season launches. What could be one of the most exciting moments of
Marios Papadopoulos on the joy of sharing music
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts This chat was recorded at the Classic Violin Olympus in Dubai, talking with jury member Marios Papadopoulos. Marios is a conductor and pianist who founded the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998. Founding an orchestra is no easy thing, so I was really interested to hear
Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, on the future of the BBC Proms in an ever-changing world
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts Today, I‘m talking with Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms. The BBC Proms is the world’s largest and longest-running classical music festival, taking place over 8 weeks each summer. With concerts broadcast on the radio and on television around the
Two years later: I asked AI to program an orchestra season again – here's what it did
2 years ago, when ChatGPT was had only been released to the public for a few months, I decided to put it to the test. Could it program a whole orchestra season? Even though it was the early days of consumer AI, I was surprised it managed to do it,
Denis Kozhukhin on his hopes for humanity and how music plays a part in it
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts Today’s episode is a little bit different. This is an impromptu in-person interview pianist Denis Kozhukhin that we managed to squeeze in at the InClassica festival in Dubai. We talked about his hopes for humanity and how music plays a part in it, the
Alexandra Robinson, social media manager at the Minnesota Orchestra, on orchestras using social media to engage with a wider world
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts Today, I‘m talking with Alexandra Robinson, Social Media and Content Manager for the Minnesota Orchestra. If you’re a follower of the blog, you already know just how much I love the Minnesota Orchestra. They are exceptional online, creating incredible and funny audience-centric content,
The worst classical music season launches of 25/26
Season launches are everywhere! I’ve already written about the best season launches of 25/26, those leading the way with great marketing, connecting with audiences, and standing out from the crowd. (You can give that a read here) But even though season launches should be one of the most
Orchestras need to be ready for the death of Google
The whole internet is built around search engines. If we’re being honest, that means it’s built around Google. For years, businesses have adapted and worked hard to be featured higher up Google’s search results. There is now an entire industry devoted to helping you with the joy
A musician’s guide to pitching to the right people
When it comes to networking and pitching, we often talk about how. “How do I write a great intro email”, “how do I create the perfect elevator pitch”… But, we rarely ever talk about the “who”. I strongly believe that most of us aren’t being successful in our networking
The best classical music season launches of 25/26
It’s that time of year again, season launches are everywhere! They should be one of the most exciting things an orchestra or arts organisation does each year, but often they miss the mark and end up with the dullest marketing. This is something I’ve already written about, and
Two years later: I asked AI to program an orchestra season again – here's what it did" — David Taylor
2 years ago, when ChatGPT was had only been released to the public for a few months, I decided to put it to the test. Could it program a whole orchestra season ? Even though it was the early days of co nsumer AI, I was surprised it managed to do it, even with the odd issue. Now, with new models av
How the Royal Ballet and Opera are working with influencers to share accessibility stories — David Taylor
Venues and arts organisations have made great progress in making their spaces and performances more accessible. But, as an industry, we’re not the best at talking about it. Most of the time, we end up using language that feels more suited to a funding application than something that would resonate w
Orchestras need to be ready for the death of Google — David Taylor
The whole internet is built around search engines. If we’re being honest, that means it’s built around Google. For years, businesses have adapted and worked hard to be featured higher up Google’s search results. There is now an entire industry devoted to helping you with the joy of Search Engine Opt
The worst classical music season launches of 25/26 — David Taylor
Season launches are everywhere! I’ve already written about the best season launches of 25/26, those leading the way with great marketing, connecting with audiences, and standing out from the crowd. ( You can give that a read here ) But even though season launches should be one of the most exciting
The best classical music season launches of 25/26 — David Taylor
It’s that time of year again, season launches are everywhere! They should be one of the most exciting things an orchestra or arts organisation does each year, but often they miss the mark and end up with the dullest marketing. This is something I’ve already written about , and last year, I decided
How I helped an arts organisation get millions of views for free — David Taylor
Ok ok, the title is kind of clickbait. This blog is actually going to be a deep dive into a piece of work I did with the Leeds International Piano Competition. It’s going to involve some strategy and a fair bit of data, so I needed something to grab your attention and make it interesting. But, befor
The orchestra that’s winning at social media — David Taylor
I’ve written a lot about orchestras and classical music organisations failing to make the most of the digital world and being rubbish at social media. But there is one orchestra that is really leading the way with their amazing social media channels. It may not have the biggest budget, a large-scale
Orchestras are wasting money with these terrible adverts — David Taylor
I regularly get adverts from orchestras and other classical media accounts when I go on social media. Over the last year, I’ve been bombarded by a new trend. A type of advert that is truly, astonishingly terrible. I’m not talking about something complex where the strategy behind the advert isn’t wo
Is VR the answer to getting audiences in concert halls? — David Taylor
I’ve had my eye on the Philharmonia’s Virtual Reality projects for a while now. Starting back in 2014, these immersive installations allow for audiences to turn up, put on a headset, and be transported inside an orchestra. These installations have been round the world, reaching 30,000 people at ev
Free Coaching - New Year Offer — David Taylor
The New Year can be a time where we take stock of our lives, personal and professional. Sometimes this is hard to do on your own, especially when recovering from a once a century pandemic that has totally reshaped the industry you work in. So, in January and February, I’m going to be offering free
It’s time for arts organisations to quit X/Twitter — David Taylor
For a long time, X/Twitter has been a vital part of arts organisations’ marketing and social media strategies. What made early Twitter great, made it the perfect place for “event” based organisations. Instant, heavily focussed on news, updates, connecting organisations and customers, and interacting
Orchestras, young people don’t care about cheap tickets — David Taylor
A few years ago, I was on an industry panel thing at a music college alongside the CEO of an orchestra. One of the questions from a student to this CEO was “when I come to your concerts, I rarely see any other young people. What are you doing to attract young people to your concerts?” Straight away
Can orchestras follow art museums and embrace "Instagram traps"? — David Taylor
The digital age, social media, and smart phones have changed so much of the world we live in and how we interact with it. This creates a particular challenge for all of us in the arts when people now want to interact and engage with art in a totally different way to what we’re used to and the format
I asked AI to program an orchestra season… this is what it did — David Taylor
There has been a lot of talk about AI in the news recently, with Chat GPT, Bing AI, and Google Bard all being released to the public. This got thinking about what AI could do in the classical music industry, so I decided to set Chat GPT a task… “Program a season for an orchestra of 30 concerts. Eac
What orchestras can learn from the Premier League — David Taylor
I’ve recently been rewatching “Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League”. I was struck by just how many similarities there were to the world of orchestras. Both facing the challenges of live attendance, unlocking the true value of their product, and bringing about change in a world where the core
The best orchestra season launches of 24/25 and what makes them special — David Taylor
Season launches should be one of the most interesting announcements an orchestra makes each year. I’ve long been fascinated by why orchestras haven’t made the most of this opportunity and how they could do it better ( Season launches are boring… but they don’t have to be ) This year there have been
In the age of the celebrity CEO, why are orchestra bosses invisible? — David Taylor
50 years ago, most people would not be able to name a single CEO of one of the world’s biggest companies. Now, not only can most people name a long list of CEOs, but we’re basically obsessed with them. We live in the age of the celebrity CEO, where the founders and CEOs of companies have large publ
Threads: Classical music’s guide to Meta’s Twitter rival — David Taylor
Facebook and Instagram’s owner Meta has unveiled its long-awaited competitor to Twitter. Already boasting millions of sign-ups in the first few hours and being backed by the world’s largest social media company, it will be hard to ignore. But what does this mean for people and organisations in the c
Orchestras are looking for answers in the wrong places — David Taylor
I was chatting with an orchestra about ways they could attract new audiences and become more accessible. The orchestra’s concert dress was very traditional, full white tie and tails for the men, so I suggested that like other orchestras they should switch to something just as smart but less elitist
Why orchestras sucking at Instagram is a sign of a bigger problem — David Taylor
We’re going to get to the bigger problem by the end of this blog, but first, here’s a scenario for you. Imagine that your run an orchestra… and make it a big one. You have a concert coming up and you decide to task your entire marketing team to come up with a print campaign, to advertise at bus sto