Christy Farnbauch

The Jazz Arts Group (JAG) in Columbus, OH, along with its national research partners recently completed a two-year study focused on the attitudes of current and potential jazz ticket buyers throughout the U.S. and in Central Ohio.

The research process involved a variety of research methods, including a music listening study, electronic and print surveys, and a literature review. The Jazz Audiences Initiative (JAI), launched in November 2009, was designed to study fundamental questions about how and why people engage with jazz. The main goal was to learn new ways for engaging audiences, and infusing the art form with new energy.

Once all the data was distilled, the following key findings emerged:

1.    Tastes in music are socially transmitted.
2.    Across western-based art forms, jazz still draws a relatively diverse audience.
3.    Consumption of jazz is artist-driven.
4.    Music preferences are shaped by local programming.
5.    Younger buyers have categorically more eclectic tastes in music.
6.    There are many musical pathways into jazz.
7.    Jazz buyers strongly prefer informal settings.

Finding #1 was a surprise to us and our researchers, Alan Brown, Rebecca Ratzkin, and Jennifer Novak-Leonard at WolfBrown. Prior to conducting this study, we held the hypothesis that audiences purchase tickets to see musicians and artists with which they are already familiar. In other words, they purchase tickets to confirm tastes they’ve already developed for various types of music. So, we were curious about the ways people learn about new music.

The Music Listening Study conducted in January 2010 demonstrated that individuals are often willing to listen to music outside their comfort zones or stated preferences, but usually with conditions. Those conditions included: 1) a specific invitation from someone they know, like or trust; 2) word of mouth comments with a specific invitation to respond; or 3) attending the concert with someone more knowledgeable about a particular form of music.

To win audiences in jazz and possibly other art forms, you must develop ways to incentivize and reward people to serve as ambassadors and hosts on your behalf. Who are the initiators in your audience?

Given the importance of the social transmission of taste, below are a few ideas for engaging and tracking new audiences that will discover your work from family and friends.

• Provide ticket vouchers for current subscribers to incentivize them to bring friends who are new to the organization’s programming, free of charge. Capture data on the new attendees.
• Launch and track “Bring a Friend” promotions.
• Create a “frequent buyer card” for people who regularly bring new friends to events. We all have these for the corner coffee shop. To make this strategy even more persuasive, include two free punches on the card to “get them started.” Once they sell 10 new tickets for you, reward them with something of value – free tickets, a special reception, or a backstage tour.
• Include 90-second video clips or audio files on your website so “newbies” can sample the work.
• Make it easy for people to spread the word about your organization through social media sites.
• Recruit a group of “ambassadors” for a specific audience segment you’re trying to reach and empower them to engage with friends and family members who might like your events.
• Create a music listening space (physical or virtual) where friends can share music with their friends to expand musical tastes.

What additional ideas do you have for capitalizing on the social transmission of taste?

For full reports and more information on Jazz Audiences initiative, visit: www.jazzartsgroup.org/jai.