Maine arts groups weigh whether digital content is worth the cost
Virtual performances and exhibits aren't money-makers, but there's value in reaching new audiences and engaging loyal ones.
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Eckart Preu, center, conducts the Portland Symphony Orchestra in a rehearsal of “Magic of Christmas” at Merrill Auditorium, which nearly 5,000 households in 35 states watched online.
Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Maine arts groups leapt across the digital divide in 2020. Now they have to figure out how to pay for a bridge so the crossing is not so financially perilous.
The Portland Symphony Orchestra reached almost 5,000 households in 35 states with its all-digital presentation of “Magic of Christmas” – impressive numbers that, in terms of attendance, compare favorably to the 17,000 or so people who typically attend “Magic” in person, assuming two or three people per household watched each streaming concert. But in terms of revenue, the numbers don’t come close to adding up. Each in-person ticket to “Magic” at Merrill Auditorium cost $22 to $92 in 2019. This year’s streaming concert cost a suggested donation of $10 for a single viewer or $25 for multiple viewers.