New York Philharmonic

How to attract new audiences without losing loyal supporters?

Appealing to a broad audience that spans a wide demographic spectrum is not a challenge that is unique to the NY Phil. To better understand the problem in this particular context, a number of interviews were conducted with a range of classical music enthusiasts, gathering insights into behavior, expectations and desires.

Giving something that a recording can’t

The digital medium has the power to fundamentally transform the classical audience experience and NY Phil was well-positioned to be a global leader in creating this new paradigm. A recorded piece of music offers a lot, but the surprise and delight of a live performance is non-replicable. Participants interviewed during initial discovery highlighted the thrill of watching a one-time only improvisation, a virtuosic solo performance, or the inclusion of a personal story by a musician. A range of digital concepts and rapid prototypes were developed to enable self-initiated discovery and a chance for people to connect more deeply to both musicians and fellow concert-goers. Artist spotlights could include video or audio recordings of the actual performance so that concert attendees can re-live precious moments or share with others.

Helping audiences to learn and connect

Increasingly, audiences were asking for stories and personal context to ground their experience. Many want to know more about the compositions and history, but even more than that, they want to get to know the artist, learn more about their life and their individual journey.

Immersing everyone in the experience

Less experienced concert-goers described that they were looking for more stimulus than the music alone and said they found it challenging to connect with the music. In contrast, more experienced listeners emphasized the integrity of a pure musical experience, and felt thoroughly immersed without additional stimuli. Balancing the competing needs of a broader audience required journey mapping for multiple “personas” to capture the breadth of the NY Phil’s potential customer base. A holistic digital experience was envisioned, including physical space design concepts to engage and immerse all future audience members.

Classical Time Travel

This interactive exhibit could give visitors the chance to travel back in time digitally to a composer’s era where they can explore fun facts about Chopin or Mozart, learn where he lived and even hear ambient sounds of the time.

Step Symphony

As concert-goers walk upstairs, they could be enchanted by a “Step Symphony” that digitally reveals the score for a famous piece of classical music like Beethoven’s Ninth.

Providing variety and more ways to share

Live performances are memorable experiences, especially with family and friends, and many new concert-goers want to easily share their experience through social media. An innovative digital ecosystem was developed to help transform NY Phil from a traditional music performance organization into an integrated media content and service provider, including collaboration with a wide variety of business and media partners.