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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > January > 20 > Entry
Americans for the Arts report: Arts industry faces big slump after much growth
A new report compiled by national advocacy group Americans for the Arts finds that the number of U.S. arts organizations grew by thousands over the last decade, but those groups now face greater competition for audiences and charity dollars, according to a national study of the industry’s health.
The report, the National Arts Index, looked at 76 indicators, including music royalties, Broadway ticket sales, museum visits, philanthropy and the number of college art majors.
It’s hard to judge how much real news there is in such a report. After all, reports declining arts audiences and funding have been percolating right along with the rest of the news of the recession.
But one thing is clear: Audiences are voting with their feet and with their ticket dollars and attendance at mainstream arts organizations is in a decline.
The challenge for arts groups? Finding ways to match their programming and offerings to the changing ways people consume culture and participate in it. Arts group who do exactly the same that things that’ve been doing for the past few decades, won’t make it through the next few decades.
Americans for the Arts plans to update the Index every October.
Read the AP story here.
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