Arts & Business Merge

Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic

My wife and enjoyed an experience in late January 2009 that would have set the late Herbert von Karajan spinning with joy. A live symphony concert from a Digital Concert Hall.

It was a remarkable step forward in making the arts directly accessible to millions around the world.

For music lovers it is a Godsend; for the other arts, it points the way ahead.

Can arts-related businesses pick up ideas from this initiative ?

Yes they can! Macro to micro … but still worthwhile. Admittedly a lower investment  but - fresh and distinctive.
 

Emphasis on service draws customers and clients to come closer, seeking more service.  I think it requires thought, imagination and a little daring -  some shifting out of old comfort zones. During bad times, individuals seem to seek ‘community’ more. (Sudden growth spurt in social marketing world- wide has been measured in last four months.)

For more about the stats on this phenomenon … see Eugene Carr’s: Wired for Culture - How E-mail is Revolutionizing Arts Marketing. Third Ed  It’s available from Patron Technology

* There are ideas at the Philharmonic that link to book sellers and  theaters. It is a matter of tossing ideas around among colleagues and even clients. Choose two or three likely ideas and trial them. One book shop could team with another (children’s with general) to share imaginations, costs and energy. A theatre could team with a cabaret- show place.
* One key desire behind the Berlin experience was to find a new audience sources and tap them through a special experience of fine live music at home. New markets opened - and now old ones are re-invigorated. The vital mailing list will grow exponentially and E-commerce can lift. The buzz supports the list building effort. Yes, there are lessons to be learned by arts marketers in this big test lab.

* Could work for a jazz or rock venue. Think sideways - remember? There is posting from earlier weeks on this.

* Books  A simple video of a short interview with a local or touring author or online Skype hookup recorded on mp3, mp4 or video.
* A quick ‘tour’ of books on the New Releases Table. A Slideshare-type presentation with pictures only and voice-over commentary: Lists and quick reviews of recent arrivals in the store. You can think of more ideas like that than I can!
* Theater  A team shows an upcoming production in rehearsal - on video and emails it to its list, with a call to book online. Web site says, ‘ Tell a friend about this.”- The Deutsche Bank and the trustees of the Orchestra invested strongly in this enterprise. It remains to be seen how successful it will be. No figures have yet been released as far as I know - about audiences  for the digital concerts. They are certainly measurable, since the  addresses of all subscribers are in an email data base now. Audience behaviors will be studied.

Digital Concert Hall and Email

Here is an email I received at 11.30 in that night, from a dedicated (or designated) staff member at the Digital Concert Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Alexander McWilliam, Jan 24 22:54:
Dear Mr. Lonewordsmith,
Thank you for the kind words and the thoughtful suggestions. We are constantly evaluating how to make the experience easier to use. Streaming over the web, unfortunately, is still an adventurious undertaking and requires our viewers to harness the many pitfalls of their computers.

One question: did your stream cut out two minutes before the end of the concert?

Kind regards,
Alexander McWilliam”

Yes it did fade out for a minute or so, but we were returned to the Concert Hall in time for the applause at the end - and that was OK. Our own applause echoed out the window and across snow to our neighbors in a central German village where my wife, children and I live.

A DIGITAL CONCERT HALL

We had attended one of the first digital concerts as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performed in its new Digital Concert Hall and that was watched on computer screens far and wide.

It was a thrill. It was history-making.  It was amazing.

The music, under the baton of Sakari Oramo, included a modern short piece, Phototosis by Bern Zimmermann and Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D Minor.

Sound was superb, lighting - kindly, nice (we had to select a soft tone - necessary with our slowish internet server) - and the ambiance was stunning.

Many automatic cameras brought us close to the soloists, the workers in the pit, and the conductor in flight. Looking forward to Simon Rattle. Cramped into my attic office with the heater going and amid the chaos of my work desk, it was a novel concert-viewing position for us.

I have never experienced anything quite like it. When we eventually see our live concerts via a wall screen in our living room, our 9 Euros 90 seat (for two or more) will be just superb. We poured our red wine and forgot about beating through crowds for a lemonade at the Concert Hall in Berlin - a capital that is 5 hours away by express train and an hour by jet.

The astounding arts initiative is significantly funded by Deutsche Bank, which, fortunately for music and music lovers, had committed the funds before the world economic crisis hit.

Dear friend of music,

Thank you for subscribing to the Berliner Philharmoniker’s newsletter.

The newsletter keeps you up-to-date on the latest news about the Philharmonie’s concerts, special events, chamber music performances as well as the Digital Concert Hall. You will be the first to know about upcoming highlights and ticket pre-sale, not to mention behind-the-scenes knowledge about the Philharmonie.

The Berliner Philharmoniker wish you happy reading.
About Us:
Berlin Phil Media GmbH
Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1
10785 Berlin
Tel: 030 254 88-0
Fax: 030 254 88-390

Directors: Olaf Maninger und Robert Zimmermann

It is of course a free newsletter.

Here are helpful some words from an article by Kevin Rook, Ph.D., the ‘Denver Technology Examiner’.

Kevin has been a professional in the computer industry for more than 20 years. He’s been involved in all aspects of computers from the component level on up and began his hands-on experience by riding his bicycle to Radio Shack to program their TRS-80’s. He’s the IT Manager of Project Resources Group in Englewood, Colo., and holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. in computer science.

He wrote: 

 The strikingly beautiful Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall; a treat for the eyes and ears (Berliner-Philharmoniker.de)

The ‘Berliner Philharmoniker’s’ new home is not only beautiful but amazingly high tech at the same time. This incredible structure is stunning without question but was built with the intention of delivering extremely high quality live and recorded concerts over the Internet using state-of-the-art digital broadband technology that boasts better-than-CD-quality and video as well. While the concert hall has been in operation for some time, its debut live performance (took place) on January, 6th.

It is a big step in the right direction for music lovers all over the world. Imagine being a symphony lover living in a small town where the nearest symphony is literally hundreds of miles away. Now you can bring world class performances into your own home either live, or as they advertise ‘Any time, Any Place’. Not only that, you don’t have to worry about parking or even dressing for that matter. In addition, like television pay-per-view events, many people can enjoy the concert for the same price rather than each having to pay for individual seats; and the view is never obstructed.

There are two options: to watch and listen to concerts as they happen, and also to watch and listen to the concert on the BPO’s archive platform. For €9.90 visitors to the Digital Concert Hall can either watch a single concert live or for 48-hours afterwards from the archive, or for €149 can have access for the entire season. (As the 2008-09 season is already under way this year’s season ticket costs €89.)

Using remote-controlled, high-definition cameras, the promised experience should be of high-quality and immediate in its impact. Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s chief conductor, explained “When the idea of the Digital Concert Hall occurred to us, I was immediately certain that this is the way of the future. I believe it is a marvelous thing for both the orchestra and the public. And it is a wonderful feeling to be able to welcome far more people to the Philharmonie than before.”

Extremely well put.

Let your marketing ideas fly now arts business owners and  marketers.

The level just lifted a notch - for the arts - in Berlin. 

 

Arts & Buiness Merge is a resource for arts marketers, written by Professional Word. You can subscribe to our blog from this page post.

www.professionalword.com

PLEASE HELP?? Are you using a mobile device to read this post or did you first pick it up by your mobile phone? I am polling: http://www.polls.linkedin.com/p/20846/dvibn