Duke Performances faces a dip in ticket sales

Decreasing ticket sales may lead to a change in programming next year for Duke’s cultural and artistic presenter.

Through the first two months of Duke Performances’ 2010-2011 season, overall ticket sales are down 20 to 30 percent from the previous year despite an uptick in the number of tickets purchased by students.

This downturn comes after steadily increasing attendance since Aaron Greenwald took over as interim director for the organization in 2007 and as director in 2008. Ticket sales, however, contribute to only a small portion of Duke Performances’ operating budget, which is heavily subsidized by the University.

“This is going to require a pretty serious recalibration of how we plan a season, how much we do,” Greenwald said. “I’m very comfortable with the brand that we have built and the kinds of things that we present and the kinds of projects we help produce, but looking toward next year—and assuming that this is sort of the new normal—we’re going to have to figure out how we can do less and go deeper with the programs that we are doing.”

Although the overall number of tickets sold is down from last year, student attendance is up considerably: There have been about 3,500 tickets purchased by students as of Nov. 5 this Fall, compared to approximately 3,200 tickets purchased total in the fall of 2009. In terms of proportions, Greenwald and Director of Marketing Ken Rumble said Duke Performances’ core group of multiple-ticket buyers comprises about 25 percent of sales, and students make for 25 to 30 percent—the rest are single-ticket buyers.

“My sort of theory about what’s happened is that we’ve identified our core audience pretty well; we effectively communicate with them, they bought tickets en masse and now they’re kind of done,” Rumble said. “Now we’re working on expanding that audience and getting more single-concert buyers or more people that are going to buy multiple [tickets].”

The theme of Duke Performances’ current season, which began Sept. 17, is “In Durham, at Duke, a Nation Made New.” Under this conceptual umbrella, programming has been organized into distinct series that all focus on the various ways in which contemporary American art interacts with its traditions and influences.

Greenwald and Rumble cited the lower-than-expected sales for shows by folk singer Loudon Wainwright III, vocal ensemble Stile Antico, pianist Andras Schiff and jazz outfit the Del McCoury Band as collectively indicative of a trend in attendance so far this season.

In terms of the changing cultural landscape in the Triangle, Greenwald and Rumble said two factors stood out as important in considering current sales.

The first is the recession, which Rumble said he believes is affecting the public later than he expected: With patrons having often suffered either depleted savings or lost jobs, there is less flexibility in how many shows they are able to attend.

The second factor is the growing presence of the Durham Performing Arts Center, which presents a competing option for the concert-going public.

Greenwald said DPAC’s booking arm has gottten a better feel for the taste of Durham residents.

“We know [DPAC’s] been successful,” he said. “Our sense is that we’re dealing with a shifting marketplace.”

Since opening in November 2008, DPAC has drawn musicians like Melissa Etheridge, Norah Jones and Lyle Lovett, providing a new alternative for an evening out that didn’t exist last year. A couple attending a show at DPAC may spend more than $250 when one factors in tickets, dinner and a babysitter, Greenwald said—leaving less money to spend on other programming.

There are two prominent differences between Duke Performances and DPAC, which is connected to the University through the American Dance Festival and Office of Student Activities and Facilities discounts on DPAC tickets. The first is in their intrinsic missions: DPAC is purely commercial compared to Duke Performances’ educational commitment. Also, DPAC is directly tied to its own dedicated physical venue, while Duke Performances is not.

“It’s a continual challenge in terms of the logistics,” Lindroth said. “Certainly Page Auditorium is a liability, in terms of being able to present events for large audiences, since it’s such an uncomfortable venue. Compared to DPAC or Memorial Hall, it is going to be a less attractive setting for a performance.”

Memorial Hall is the primary location for programming by Carolina Performing Arts, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s presenting body. Despite indicating uncertainty this early in the season, Sean McKeithan, the marketing and communications coordinator for Carolina Performing Arts, also said his organization has seen the recession in its attendance.

“I think there’s a degree to which perhaps you can feel a bit of a slump in sales, but nothing too worrisome,” McKeithan said. “I feel like there’s a lot of talk of the economic climate, and I think we can definitely feel that—I think our subscription sales are down a little bit this year—but we’ve been selling a lot of single tickets…. I definitely don’t think the arts are super-protected right now.”

Though sales have decreased overall, some Duke Performances shows have sold out—including the Books and the Carolina Chocolate Drops concerts—and Greenwald cited several particularly successful events, namely the three “Sounds of the South” shows at the Hayti Heritage Center in downtown Durham.

But the shift in attendance will require adjustments by Duke Performances.

Greenwald and Lindroth both said there will likely be less programming next year, with a possible decrease from the 51 performances this year to approximately 40. Through this revamping, they intend to create space around each particular piece of programming and better highlight the artists.

And regardless of the logistical differences between this season and the next, the overall goal of Duke Performances will remain the same.

“Our mission is to offer things that are inspiring, that are beautiful,” Greenwald said. “And we need to offer these things in a sustainable way.”