Episode 3: If Subscriptions are the New Go-To Business Model, Why are they Failing the Arts?

Many of the world’s largest companies have opted out of traditional retail transactions in favor of subscription models. Whether it’s software, newspapers, movies, TV, or even food, fashion or cars, subscription schemes are becoming a go-to model. And headlines the past few weeks have been full of stories about what’s happening to subscriber-driven companies – Netflix most of all. 

So perhaps a slightly awkward question: – given that traditional arts institutions have depended on the subscription ticket model for decades, why are arts subscriptions now in steep decline just as the rest of the world has latched on to them as their ticket forward? Is it the subscription model that’s not working or is it the way the arts do subscriptions? We’ll look into what’s going on with Netflix – perhaps the world’s largest subscription model - and talk about the trends and where they’re pointing.