1.03. What are the data practices in the performing arts sector?

Here we propose an overview of the practices of managing and exploiting the data in the live show. This sheet follows the one entitled "What societal issues surround the data? (external link)We advise you to read beforehand for a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

Table of contents

The performing arts sector faces the same data management challenges as any other field: it must ensure proper circulation of data, make effective use of it, and guarantee the protection of personal data, in line with European regulations (see dedicated sheet).
Data flows through every department and is generated by all areas of activity. Ticketing systems produce audience data and manage programming information, HR handles employee data, accounting generates financial and administrative data...

As in many other industries, this data is used for a wide range of purposes. It supports public authorities in assessing the institution's project. It is used in social declarations or copyright-related procedures. It provides valuable support for strategic management, offering perspective on ongoing actions and helping to adjust them in real time.

Finally, data can inform relationship marketing strategies or help fine-tune sales approaches. All of these uses require the efficient circulation of data.  

Shared methods and techniques, specific objectives

When it comes to audience data, the performing arts sector relies on tools similar to those used in other industries: emailing solutions, website tracking, online ticketing, CRM systems... While some software solutions are tailored to the sector, the methods and techniques behind them are largely shared across industries. Dedicated sheets outline the actions one can take or services one can expect from a ticketing system on the one hand, and a CRM on the other.

Focusing more specifically on marketing activities - which are central to this project - it is worth noting that the mechanisms and tools used in the performing arts (conversion funnels, SEO strategy, audience segmentation, online advertising...) are the same as in any other sector. What differs, however, is how cultural operators use them. In the performing arts - especially when publicly funded - the ultimate goal is the pursuit of the public interest: implementing cultural diversity across the territory.

Even within the performing arts field, data usage varies from one organisation to another, depending on their resources, goals, and challenges in terms of attendance and audience development. Despite these differences, many best practices are worth sharing.

In practice, many institutions remain hesitant to implement a real strategy around audience data - and marketing strategy more broadly - even though many uses are already in place on the ground, often in a makeshift or informal way. This reluctance stems from perceptions of what marketing represents, but also from a lack of training, tools, and resources dedicated to this area.  

Professionals' attitudes towards data have evolved significantly in recent years. While there was initially a certain degree of distrust toward these new working methods, there is now a growing understanding of the value data can offer as a support tool.
Debates that once opposed intuitive approaches (where artistic quality takes precedence) to data-driven ones are becoming less frequent, as the sector gains maturity and perspective on the topic.  

Julie Knibbein "Musique et données, de la recherche aux usages", CNM Lab

Training opportunities in marketing and data: still too rare in the performing arts sector

Within cultural venues, audience data is generally managed by box office teams, sometimes by communication departments, or by marketing staff when such a role exists within the organisation. However, data-related topics are rarely included in their initial training: there is in fact no formal training pathway for box office management, and more broadly, cultural communication programmes seldom cover marketing or data-related issues.

As a result, teams often develop their skills on the job, in a self-taught manner, through industry monitoring or peer exchange. While this approach allows for practices that are well adapted to the sector, it may slow down the acquisition of technical expertise.

There are professionals with more advanced data management skills - but they generally come from other sectors, such as sports (where many practices are transferable to the cultural field), or they are trained in general management or business schools. The challenge, then, is to build a shared culture between these professionals and the existing teams - bridging the gap between data culture and the culture of the performing arts.

As a result, practices surrounding data vary widely: some are mature, others still in development. Moreover, many actions currently implemented in venues - which clearly fall under data-driven marketing - are neither perceived nor conceptualised as such by those carrying them out. The risk? These actions remain isolated, less effective, and often lack coherence.
The key? To build a structured and cross-cutting strategy within teams.  

Many challenges remain, particularly in terms of staff training in analytical skills, human resources, and technical and financial capacity. Once data has been collected, the lack of trained personnel able to process, "read," and interpret it prevents organisations from fully capitalising on their previous efforts.
General and tailored training programmes, along with increased financial resources, are among the proposed solutions to help cultural organisations make the most of their data's potential.  

Synapse C (Québec)in "Arts de la scène : la donnée, un outil de résilience", partie 2, 26 mars 2024

A few structures and pilot projects experimenting in the field

Although few openly promote it, many organisations are experimenting with in-depth uses of customer data, striving to find creative ways to align their public service mission with broader challenges around marketing and data-driven management.

The Paris Opera, for example, has taken a leading role by collaborating with Secutix, a Swiss provider of a high-performance ticketing software that was initially unsuited to the Opera's specific practices. The institution worked with the company to develop features tailored to the sector's needs. In doing so, it helped integrate this provider into the national market, thereby contributing to greater competition and choice for other institutions.

We also observe initiatives where organisations come together to co-develop data management or ticketing solutions aligned with their values - and under a model of financial solidarity, enabling smaller venues to benefit from the same level of service. This is the case for the scènes de musiques actuelles (current music venues) and their professional association Fedelima, who joined forces to create the GIE SoTicket. This collective structure provides around fifty clients with more suitable tools and ensures faster development of new features tailored to their needs. It has also enabled the hiring of a dedicated team responsible for training and upskilling those involved in the project.

Finally, there is the example of the DIP platform in Denmark, developed by a consortium of three professional associations in the performing arts. Together, they built a centralised digital infrastructure to automate administrative tasks, collect data using shared standards, and analyse it for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.  

And what about me — do I produce data?

Cultural venues generate large volumes of data through all their activities - from ticketing systems to CRM tools, accounting, human resources, and more. The data produced by venues can be financial in nature, relate to attendance, or concern programming activities.

Some organisations have yet to implement dedicated software solutions and, as a result, have not yet structured their data digitally - for instance, in ticketing. However, this situation is becoming less common thanks to the emergence of free or highly accessible solutions. These entry-level services have made it easier to adopt structuring tools.

The challenge now is to properly identify, structure, manage, and update your own data sets - and to work towards making them potentially interoperable or shareable, across departments, organisations, or even territories.

You need to define a data policy at the scale of your organisation. In a society transformed by data and algorithms, these questions are far too important to be left unaddressed.
A working tool, a management aid, an economic lever... Data is also a political issue - one that reflects your institution's ability to meet the societal challenges surrounding it.  

The performing arts sector faces unique challenges, particularly related to data ownership and sharing among stakeholders, as well as the technical, political, and regulatory issues that accompany them - such as the protection of personal data.
Indeed, data specific to the performing arts - such as ticket sales, venue capacities, sales histories, and more - are often fragmented across multiple actors and platforms (several ticketing systems, different venues, various CRM tools, etc.).  

Julie Knibbein "Musique et données, de la recherche aux usages", CNM Lab

To go further

Rubriques

Explorez le sujet en quatre grandes rubriques dédiées au spectacle vivant, depuis la compréhension des enjeux jusqu'au pilotage stratégique.

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