Thursday, January 15, 2015
So Why Do People Go to Live Entertainment Anyway? [Infographic]
Selling Out: Earlier today Jim talked about one of the barriers to attending a live event: being (or at least feeling) busy. There are certainly other barriers as well, but also plenty of reasons why people do make the effort for live entertainment. The National Endowment for the Arts recently posted an infographic that breaks down some of these motivators and barriers
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8 comments:
First of all, I love inforgraphics! The simplistic but informative layout that they have is just something that I find really cool and beautiful. This one is particularly intriguing, especially to someone who is interested in both filmed and live entertainment. What really draws me to both mediums is the amazing ways that they are able to tell stories and share them with an audience. Theatre is able to do this through recreating real life events in real time on stage. Where as film can focus in on smaller details. It is kinda for this reason that I feel I enjoy live entertainment a little bit more than other kinds. Just simply because it is so real. I am not able to rewind or fast forward just like in real life. That is just something what is very powerful, epically when it is done right. That is why I go to live entertainment.
I don't think you need math or an infographic to figure out why people feel the need to go to live entertainment. Although technology is rapidly integrating into our everyday lives, live theater still has a purpose to our society. Not only does technology entertain us but it also enhances our everyday routines. I think we could say the same for live entertainment. When you walk to work and see a street performer singing your favorite song. Or when one sees a play that your friends or family are in. Why do people go and see their favorite artist’s concert when that have everything on iTunes? There is an energy, a value, and a memory when one goes to live entertainment that will never be replaced by a television screen. I always think of my relationship with live theatre like keeping in touch with a close friend. FaceTime, Skype, Facebook, twitter, and cell phones will never replace embracing them in real life. Live entertainment is not about listening to the story because it’s considered artsy or classy, it's about making a story and a memory to share with others.
Attending The Arts and going to live performances is such a fulfilling and amazing past time. I can honestly say that every performance or gallery or demonstration I have attended has filled me with excitement and joy and has opened my eyes to a whole new kind of world and perspectives that I didn’t know existed. Seeing people dedicate all this time and work and money just to display it and receive commentary amazes me. While all of these polls show most people go to socialize or try something new or just to support the artist in question, I believe there is another level to seeing and experiencing a form of art first hand. Many artists set up displays or say something a particular way to get the audience into a certain frame of mind. And this experience puts you in place and you are kind of forced to live a different way for the entirety of the performance, and I believe that it is one of the most healthy, spiritually, and mindfully educational pastimes.
I think it is very important for everyone to attend some form of art as often as possible. Art is a great way to escape and be exposed to a whole new world of ideas. There are many different types of art that can affect different people in different ways. Art is a way of expression that can change the way a person thinks. It is important to expose young children to art because they have a fresh view of the world and they will give their initial reaction to what they are seeing because their judgment has not been clouded with other people’s opinions on what they should think of a certain piece. Children are the future of what art can be in the future. If they are exposed early on then they will develop a certain taste and respect for the arts and make sure they continue prosper.
I mostly clicked on this article because it said infographic, and I’m a big fan of them. I remember last year there was one comparing theatre on Broadway, in the West End and in Vegas, and it was really interesting to read and had a lot of great information. This one was interesting, and I like the information in it, but I wish it was higher quality. I found myself straining to read some of the words, and I think that when doing an infographic one of the main concerns should be readability. I liked the information that it contained, and I think it brings up a lot of really good points about the arts. I think my favorite part of it is the barriers section, because it’s really important to keep those in mind when thinking about how good the arts are. It would be great if everyone could see them and have all of the benefits from the left side of the page, but it’s not always that easy. I also like how they address that with ways to reach out to people who aren’t typically in audiences.
What didn’t shock me with this article was the fact that those in support of the arts are truly loyal, in other words they are the one who are constantly going. I was shocked by the number of people in support of the arts. Growing up I always felt lead to believe that the number was much lower. Hence part of the reason the term the starving artist exists. I was also taken aback by the fact that people are really that interested in see the risk taking. Which to me begs the question why do we take risks with our art if no one cares to see it? But that also brings up the bigger question are we creating art to satisfy the audience? Or rather is our purpose as artists to challenge and educate our audience to look at the world around them and question in order to grow? And then by doing this, is this not the core reason why people attend the arts?
I'm not sure I agree with Tom's above comment. Maybe it is because even as a somebody training to work in live entertainment I don't go see that much live entertainment, but sometimes I do wonder what even is the target demographic of live entertainment, especially theater. In our very digital world, sometimes I find it hard to find a strong draw to go see more theater.
Anyways, I guess it is no surprise though the top reason to go see live entertainment is to socialize, similar to if I were to go to the movies. Again, the barriers to going to see live entertainment are also pretty predictable. That being said, there is certainly a large audience that is currently not seeing theater due to its cost and accessibility that should and can be captured by the industry. I'm not sure how to bring the cost of live entertainment down or make it more accessible, but in the name of appealing to a greater amount of people, perhaps this is an area that should be explored further.
Hurrah for imagery! But I'd have to agree with Tom's first statement that people really don't need info graphics to figure out why people like live entertainment. Not only is it an adrenalin rush to be apart of a crowd of like minded souls, but to close to your artist or speak or musician is very different then watching a video of them speak. Also I son't know if I necessarily trust the data given on info graphics (they don't site their sources) and I don't think that you can fully summarize the statistics of a thing into one colorful image.
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