In Friday’s (5/6) Detroit News, Michael H. Hodges writes, “The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is gambling its future on a dramatic reduction in ticket prices, betting that building up its audience base is worth a possible drop in revenue. The financially beleaguered orchestra, which just settled a bitter six-month strike in early April, will cut ticket prices for the 2011-12 season 19 percent to 53 percent. Some main-floor seats will drop from $53 to $25. Upper-balcony seats fall from $19 to $15. Even more daring, the DSO—which last year ran a $9 million deficit—will offer students a $25 yearly pass good for any concert that’s not sold out. DSO Executive Vice President Paul Hogle called the move a long-term change designed to make the DSO ‘the most accessible orchestra on the planet,’ and he credits music director Leonard Slatkin with the idea. Still, some analysts warn that without an ongoing funding mechanism to subsidize the cheaper tickets, financial pressures could force a return to higher prices. … Hogle notes that full halls motivate potential donors. He said the orchestra has built a possible drop in ticket revenue from the experiment into its 2011-12 budget. Hogle also points to the past month, with tickets selling for just $20. In four weeks, he said, the orchestra sold 12,303 tickets—five times the normal rate.”
Posted May 6, 2011
