Classical music’s unspoken problem: digital illiteracy in leadership

There’s a problem in the classical music industry. One that impacts organisations’ strategies, output, and how they connect to audiences. It affects all, regardless of their size or location, and yet it’s something that is rarely spoken of. This problem is digital illiteracy in arts leaders.

The digital revolution has radically changed our society. It has touched every part of our lives, enabled us to connect instantly across the globe, and create new industries we couldn’t even previously imagine. If we look at the most successful companies of the last 25 years, they are the ones who have embraced, adopted, and even created digital technology the earliest or most effectively. And yet, we still find that most arts leaders do not understand the digital world.

I have found that many of the people in leadership positions in arts organisations are out of touch with the world we live in and fail to grasp the digital world. As well as lacking a basic knowledge of digital, it includes hearing lots of versions of the following:

“Our audience isn’t online”
“Social media is just for young people”
“Can you really use social media to sell tickets?”

With 88.6% of all Americans over 18 and 92.4% of all Brits are active on social media it’s clear that our audience very much are online. To break it down a bit more, in the USA 73% of 50-64 and 45% of 65+ use social media. You only need to talk to someone from Gen Z for 10 seconds to know that they are not the main people using Facebook.

Global behemoth organisations use social media to sell everything from books, to shoes, to holidays, to events. We’ve even seen how digital has been used to affect the way people vote across the globe. If you can use it to affect global politics, we can probably use social media to sell tickets.

Worryingly, these conversations are at the starter level of “what is digital and is it important”. There are so many more complex issues that we should be discussing, such as AI’s potential impact on Google SEO strategy, or the implications of Universal withdrawing their music from TikTok, that are really important for any 21st century business to understand.

But this isn’t just my experience. Many of the marketers or digital staff at these organisations have had experiences that echo this digital illiteracy from leaders and suffer from the isolation it can cause.

“No one understands what I do”
“I don’t feel valued”
“People don’t understand success when I show them clear evidence”
“I keep having to fight to say that what I do is important”
“I have to justify my job every single day”

We often forget that for audience members, the part of an orchestra, opera, or festival that they are most in contact with is the digital side of the organisation. Even if they come to a concert every week, for 6 out of every 7 days their main interaction is with the person running social media.

This level of responsibility is huge and it is heart-breaking to see that they are often undervalued, isolated, and rarely understood. If we think that for at least 86% of the week they are the voice of the organisation, our priorities would change. We wouldn’t roll out an unsupported or unvalued staff member to be the voice of our organisations on national TV, so why are we failing to support those who are doing the same thing day in and day out in the digital world?

The digital world and digital literacy for administrators are areas that are massively undervalued within our industry. Most industry events and conferences have very few sessions on digital compared to other topics, and when they do they are usually around a specific digital gimmick that doesn’t relate to the wider world we live in. As a result, it’s very rare for those who don’t already work in digital to attend.

It's not surprising that organisations in the classical music industry have struggled to capitalise on the potential of the digital age and our now struggling to navigate this world if those in charge don’t understand or value digital.

It's clear that for the digital world we live in, it’s vital for people in leadership roles at orchestras, operas, and other arts institutions to not only be digitally literate, but also have a finger on the pulse of current developments. But here’s the thing… IT’S HARD.

If you’re in a leadership position at an organisation reading this, I know how hard it can be. I’m someone who works in and loves digital, and I find it hard to keep up to date with things. The good news is that because of the digital age, it’s easier than ever to learn and keep up to date with what’s going on.

Wherever you are in your journey and whatever position you work in, here are my recommendations of where you can find out more about the digital world, keep your finger on the pulse… and even maybe have some fun along the way.

The Verge

My go-to for SO many things. The Verge is one of the leading outlets for tech news.

theverge.com – website

Vergecast – podcast

This is the podcast I swear by. Big tech and digital news, as well as exploring how gadgets and software affect our lives. Definitely a lighter look at things but will also go into some fascinating deep dives.

Decoder – podcast

Decoder is a show big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.

Taylor Lorenz

Amongst other things, Taylor is a Washington Post reporter and THE go to reporter/historian on the social media age

Extremely Online – book

A MUST read for understanding the history of the internet, social media, and where we currently are. “Extremely online reveals how online influence came to upend the world, has demolish traditional barriers and created whole new sectors of the economy

Power user with Taylor Lorenz – podcast

Power User explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, tech journalist Taylor Lorenz explores everything from online fame to emerging platforms, viral phenomena to the creator economy, and much more.

NY Times – Hard Fork

Hard Fork – podcast

A show about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech

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