4 Key Takeaways From Our Latest Trends in Audience Behavior Study

JCA recently released our latest Trends in Audience Behavior Study. This particular study compares ticket sales data across six seasons: 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25, plus 2018/19 and 2019/20 for a pre-pandemic point of comparison. The full study is a must-read for data nerds like me! I was particularly interested in the in-depth review of pricing trends over the past several seasons. But for the less data-obsessed among us, the study is still a must-read. It provides crucial insights for performing arts organizations and recommendations for what you should be thinking about when it comes to your audiences, your pricing, and your data.

So, without any further ado, here are our biggest takeaways for your consideration:

Takeaway #1: At this point, we have reached a “new normal” in the wake of the pandemic.

We’ve been tracking the post-pandemic rebound carefully over the past several seasons, and this year our study found that organizations were back to—or ahead of—pre-pandemic levels for tickets sold, number of performances, and income from ticket sales. That’s excellent news! And while these trends may not speak to every arts organization’s rebound, this return to pre-pandemic levels is an indication that we have, at last, reached a new normal.

Understanding your new normal will look different for every organization, but one actionable step that every organization can take is to stop comparing current sales against pre-pandemic comparators. We typically caution against referring to any data that is more than five years old. Based on this study’s findings, we have the data to support that you should stop comparing against your 2019/20 productions. They have been a helpful point of comparison, but it’s time to start considering more recent comparators, where pricing and sales trends will be more indicative of what you can expect now.

Takeaway #2: While economic anxiety may remain high, our data indicates that the worst-case scenarios we feared have not materialized.

We know that arts organizations have feared the worst, economically speaking. With potential indicators of a coming recession and large-scale workforce reductions, these fears are understandable. However, our data shows that our fears have not materialized. Organizations are growing year over year. Audiences are buying more tickets each year, even as prices increase. Certainly, you should continue to monitor your sales closely to watch for any concerning trends. But until real indicators of price resistance or shrinking audiences appear, we think organizations should stay the course.

On a related note, we reviewed if ticket prices have kept pace with inflation in recent seasons. To incentivize audiences to return after the pandemic, many organizations lowered their prices. However, since then, ticket price increases have outpaced inflation. This is likely an effort to offset the earlier price reductions. Moving forward, our recommendation is to keep a close eye on inflation and raise your prices accordingly; we’re now in a phase where we feel that ticket prices should increase in alignment with inflation.

Takeaway #3: Subscriptions have been largely consistent since 2022/23.

We were particularly pleased to see that subscription sales have been remarkably consistent since 2022/23. While it’s easy to lament the loss of pre-pandemic subscription levels, we think that organizations should instead be celebrating the consistency and predictability that we’re seeing in subscription numbers.

A steady subscription base can allow organizations to plan based on a reliable, loyal audience. What’s more, this even gives organizations a new path to growth! With three seasons of predictable subscription sales, organizations can confidently review their churn and acquisition rates. By setting goals for incremental growth based on those numbers, organizations can work towards steady, sustainable growth. We think this is pretty great news.

Takeaway #4: While there’s no substitute for getting your ticket prices right from the start, dynamic pricing represents a substantial revenue opportunity.

We don’t often share raw numbers in our studies; trends and percentages tend to be much more informative, especially given the variety of arts organizations participating in our studies. However, this year, we’ve included some data around dynamic pricing and incremental income. We found that in 2024/25, the average incremental income from dynamic pricing per organization was over $1 million. And that’s just the average. There were organizations in our study with even stronger results.

If you aren’t utilizing dynamic pricing at your organization, we hope these numbers will help make the case that you really ought to be! It’s ideal to get your prices right from the start and ensure that your prices are aligned with the value that audiences see you delivering. Dynamic pricing continuously optimizes your ticket prices, keeping them aligned with what the market indicates they’re worth. As our data shows, the upside can be tremendous.

Putting the data to work

We hope, as always, that our latest study provides helpful points to consider and a useful benchmark for tracking your own organization’s progress. You can download the complete study here.

Wondering where to go from here? Looking for a place to start with dynamic pricing? Want to optimize your subscription offerings to ensure consistent yearly loyalty? We’d love to help. JCA Performing Arts is here to help you turn your data into actionable insights that fuel strategy and drive success. Let’s talk about how we can help you do that.