PIVOT: Customer-first strategies to unlock growth at your arts organization

Ruth Hartt
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The arts sector is in crisis—not because the art isn't excellent, but because the entire business model is misaligned with what audiences actually need. Traditional marketing tactics can't fix a broken foundation. This podcast challenges the product-centric paradigm that's killing arts organizations and shows you how to build customer intelligence, implement need-based segmentation, and create the kind of relevance that drives sustainable revenue growth.

Episodes

  1. 11/25/2025

    The Old Model Is Dead. Here's What Comes Next.

    Fifteen years ago, McKinsey found that need-based segmentation was the strongest predictor of consumer behavior. But arts organizations never adopted it. This episode breaks down why that matters now—and what's finally changing. Subscribe to learn what's next: cultureforhire.com/subscribe Download the Value Proposition Playbook: cultureforhire.com/playbook

    30 min
  2. Unlock New Audiences with Blue Ocean Strategy

    02/21/2025

    Unlock New Audiences with Blue Ocean Strategy

    The biggest breakthroughs in the arts don’t come from fighting harder for the same audience—they happen when organizations redefine who they serve. In this episode of Pivot, I break down Blue Ocean Strategy—the business framework that helped brands like Yellow Tail wine and Nintendo dominate new markets—and show how arts organizations can use it to unlock radical audience growth. If you’re tired of fighting for the same patrons and want to create new demand for the arts, this episode is for you.

    12 min

  3. 01/23/2025

    Traditional Audience Strategy Is Killing Your Growth

    Is your audience development strategy stuck in the past? In this episode of Pivot, host Ruth Hartt explores why traditional audience strategies are failing in today’s evolving landscape—and what arts organizations can do to ignite radical growth. Discover the power of customer-centric innovation, the untapped potential in new markets, and how a simple shift in focus can transform your messaging, attendance, and impact. Packed with real-world insights and actionable advice, this episode is your guide to breaking free from outdated approaches and building the audience your art deserves. Try the ROI calculator at https://www.cultureforhire.com/roi.

    12 min
  4. Transform your arts marketing without spending a single penny

    04/02/2024

    Transform your arts marketing without spending a single penny

    The arts sector has relied on product-centric marketing for decades. This might have worked before the internet, but our world has changed profoundly in our lifetime. In today’s digital, global, customer-controlled world, the product-centric approach has become, at best, ineffective, and, at worst, a total turnoff. If you want the kind of change that will actually move the needle, stop driving away potential patrons with egocentric marketing that ignores them, and start centering the customer. It’s a pivot that has allowed countless industries—for-profit and non-profit—to unlock impressive growth. Grab 100 Prompts here: https://www.cultureforhire.com/100prompts

    12 min
  5. A Path Forward: Unpacking the NEA's 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

    12/12/2023

    A Path Forward: Unpacking the NEA's 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

    One of the biggest hurdles arts leaders face right now is driving organizational change. And one of the most crucial elements required for successfully driving change is a shared sense of urgency around the need for change.  In this episode I share stats from 40 years of NEA surveys that may help you in your crusade to start shifting the way you do things at your arts organization. To download the slide deck on audience trends from 1982-2022, go to https://www.cultureforhire.com/warningsigns To calculate your organization's change readiness score, go to http://www.cultureforhire.com/change

    17 min
  6. Innovators in the Arts: New Bedford Symphony Orchestra's Dave Prentiss and Terry Wolkowicz

    10/26/2023

    Innovators in the Arts: New Bedford Symphony Orchestra's Dave Prentiss and Terry Wolkowicz

    The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, led by Dave Prentiss and Terry Wolkowicz, has been on a remarkable journey powered by a profoundly customer-centric approach. The orchestra's deep commitment to forging connections through innovative educational programming and meaningful outreach has helped them double their budget over the last 8 years—while also increasing their concert offerings by 60%. Most notably, this approach also led to a 23% increase in attendance for their first post-pandemic season. If you need practical strategies for increasing engagement, forging connections, fostering a sense of belonging, and expanding the reach of your arts organization, you won't want to miss this conversation.

    58 min
  7. Innovators in the Arts: Dominic Moore-Dunson

    07/17/2023

    Innovators in the Arts: Dominic Moore-Dunson

    An award-winning choreographer, professional dancer, producer, teaching artist and speaker, Dominic Moore-Dunson believes that the future of the arts sector depends on arts organizations becoming community organizations.

    33 min
  8. Innovators in the Arts: Spoleto Festival USA's Renate Rohlfing

    04/23/2023

    Innovators in the Arts: Spoleto Festival USA's Renate Rohlfing

    Juilliard-trained pianist and board-certified music therapist Renate Rohlfing is passionate about creating projects that use musical and creative resources to solve challenges, process grief, enhance connections and empower communities affected by violence. In this episode you'll learn about how she is drawing on the power of music to help her patients heal—and how art can be a powerful vehicle for building relationships with your community.

    21 min
  9. Innovators in the Arts: Wichita Symphony's Holly Mulcahy

    02/03/2023

    Innovators in the Arts: Wichita Symphony's Holly Mulcahy

    Join me for an inspiring conversation about rebuilding audiences and growing relevance with Holly Mulcahy, arts innovator and violinist extraordinaire. We talk about embracing the Outsider's perspective, growing emotional bonds to your organization by creating community, and a signature drink called The Blue Electra. Concertmaster, soloist, and founder of Arts Capacity—a nonprofit that brings the healing power of music to prison inmates—Holly is tirelessly building bridges into the world of classical music, and I know you'll be inspired by her thinking.

    31 min
  10. Innovators in the Arts: Classical Uprising's Emily Isaacson

    08/26/2022

    Innovators in the Arts: Classical Uprising's Emily Isaacson

    In this episode you'll hear from Emily Isaacson, founder of Portland's Classical Uprising, about how her org is rethinking what classical music concerts should be in 2022, with a tenacious focus on community and approachability. We'll be exploring these ideas through the lens of Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering.

    32 min
  11. Innovators in the Arts: Perth Symphony's Bourby Webster

    07/29/2022

    Innovators in the Arts: Perth Symphony's Bourby Webster

    In this episode you'll hear from Bourby Webster, founder of the Perth Symphony Orchestra, on how the PSO has redefined their purpose and reinvented the audience experience. The result? The PSO has rapidly become one of the largest arts organizations in Western Australia, regularly performing to capacity audiences.

    34 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

The arts sector is in crisis—not because the art isn't excellent, but because the entire business model is misaligned with what audiences actually need. Traditional marketing tactics can't fix a broken foundation. This podcast challenges the product-centric paradigm that's killing arts organizations and shows you how to build customer intelligence, implement need-based segmentation, and create the kind of relevance that drives sustainable revenue growth.

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