Thinking Outside the Box – Defining the Market for Art and Culture
10 min read
Jan 2, 2025
The size of the classical music sector might appear modest at first glance. Statista estimates the global classical music market, including ticket sales, recordings, and digital platforms, to be valued at approximately $281 million in 2018 in the United States and Europe combined.
But to limit our understanding of the market for art and culture to traditional definitions like these is to overlook a vast and evolving landscape of what is possible.
Art and culture extend far beyond the concert halls and opera theaters. In fact, much of the classical community grew out of house concerts in the United States and Europe! By redefining our potential misconceptions of what classical music looks like, we uncover a much larger and more dynamic ecosystem—one that positions artists as central players not only in entertainment, but also in education, community building, and even corporate innovation.
The global art and entertainment industry is much bigger. PwC forecasted that the Media and Entertainment industry is expected to grow to $3.4 trillion by 2028, encompassing everything from film and streaming to live events and experiential platforms. Visual arts, theater, and immersive experiences are increasingly blurring the lines between traditional and new media. By considering classical music as part of this larger creative economy, we begin to see its potential to resonate with wider audiences and contribute to diverse industries.
For example, collaborations between classical musicians and digital platforms have led to exciting innovations, such as live-streamed concerts, virtual reality (VR) performances, and algorithm-curated playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. These formats not only expand access to classical music, but also integrate it into broader consumer habits. (For a future post: streaming platforms provide very little remuneration for artists, so they are not sustainable.)
Through our work with Living Opera, we have explained how artists can step beyond traditional venues to redefine their roles. In education, musicians are becoming advocates for interdisciplinary learning, bringing creativity into STEM fields to foster problem-solving and innovation. Community engagement programs leverage the power of music and art to address social issues, from mental health initiatives to urban revitalization projects.
Consider how orchestras now partner with corporations to provide immersive experiences for employees or how art installations appear in unexpected places like airports and hospitals.
This expanded view of the market for art and culture also repositions the artist. No longer confined to roles as performers, creators, or curators, today’s artists are entrepreneurs, digital innovators, and thought leaders. Agencies like ours aim to empower this evolution, connecting artists with nontraditional opportunities that align with their talents and aspirations. (And my research has also shown that artists who acquire some entrepreneurial training are able to command higher wages in the labor market.)
In a world where creativity is increasingly valued across all sectors, the market for art and culture is defined not just by traditional ticket sales or box office revenues but by its capacity to inspire, educate, and innovate. By thinking outside the box, we can redefine what it means to be an artist and explore the boundless opportunities within this ever-expanding market.
Share:
The size of the classical music sector might appear modest at first glance. Statista estimates the global classical music market, including ticket sales, recordings, and digital platforms, to be valued at approximately $281 million in 2018 in the United States and Europe combined.
But to limit our understanding of the market for art and culture to traditional definitions like these is to overlook a vast and evolving landscape of what is possible.
Art and culture extend far beyond the concert halls and opera theaters. In fact, much of the classical community grew out of house concerts in the United States and Europe! By redefining our potential misconceptions of what classical music looks like, we uncover a much larger and more dynamic ecosystem—one that positions artists as central players not only in entertainment, but also in education, community building, and even corporate innovation.
The global art and entertainment industry is much bigger. PwC forecasted that the Media and Entertainment industry is expected to grow to $3.4 trillion by 2028, encompassing everything from film and streaming to live events and experiential platforms. Visual arts, theater, and immersive experiences are increasingly blurring the lines between traditional and new media. By considering classical music as part of this larger creative economy, we begin to see its potential to resonate with wider audiences and contribute to diverse industries.
For example, collaborations between classical musicians and digital platforms have led to exciting innovations, such as live-streamed concerts, virtual reality (VR) performances, and algorithm-curated playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. These formats not only expand access to classical music, but also integrate it into broader consumer habits. (For a future post: streaming platforms provide very little remuneration for artists, so they are not sustainable.)
Through our work with Living Opera, we have explained how artists can step beyond traditional venues to redefine their roles. In education, musicians are becoming advocates for interdisciplinary learning, bringing creativity into STEM fields to foster problem-solving and innovation. Community engagement programs leverage the power of music and art to address social issues, from mental health initiatives to urban revitalization projects.
Consider how orchestras now partner with corporations to provide immersive experiences for employees or how art installations appear in unexpected places like airports and hospitals.
This expanded view of the market for art and culture also repositions the artist. No longer confined to roles as performers, creators, or curators, today’s artists are entrepreneurs, digital innovators, and thought leaders. Agencies like ours aim to empower this evolution, connecting artists with nontraditional opportunities that align with their talents and aspirations. (And my research has also shown that artists who acquire some entrepreneurial training are able to command higher wages in the labor market.)
In a world where creativity is increasingly valued across all sectors, the market for art and culture is defined not just by traditional ticket sales or box office revenues but by its capacity to inspire, educate, and innovate. By thinking outside the box, we can redefine what it means to be an artist and explore the boundless opportunities within this ever-expanding market.
Latest news and events
10 min read
Mar 10, 2026
CM Culture Management Announces New Director of Artist Management and Artist Roster
CM Culture Management welcomes Rebecca Townsend as Director of Artist Management and introduces a curated roster of artists across opera and classical music, marking an exciting new chapter for the company.
.avif)
Mar 10, 2026
10 min read
CM Culture Management is pleased to announce an important new chapter for the company with the appointment of Rebecca Townsend as Director of Artist Management. Under her leadership, the company introduces a carefully curated roster of exceptional artists.
Rebecca Townsend is an artist manager working across opera, theatre, and classical music. Known for her thoughtful and collaborative approach, she helps performers and creative professionals shape long-term career strategies and cultivate distinctive artistic identities. Her work is grounded in a deep respect for the history of these art forms, a commitment to building sustainable careers, and the fostering of strong professional relationships.
CM Culture Management looks forward to supporting these artists’ continued growth and connecting them with audiences and organizations around the world.
Meet the Artists of CM Culture Management:
10 min read
Mar 9, 2026
Soula Parassidis Featured in Marie Claire and Huffington Post Following Response to Timothée Chalamet’s Opera Remarks
CM Culture artist Soula Parassidis has been featured in Marie Claire and Huffington Post following her response to recent comments by Timothée Chalamet about opera and ballet.
Mar 9, 2026
10 min read
CM Culture artist Soula Parassidis has been featured in Marie Claire Greece and The Huffington Post USA following her response to recent comments by Timothée Chalamet about opera and ballet.
In the articles, Parassidis, a Greek Canadian soprano and Artistic Director of Living Opera Music, pushes back against the familiar claim that opera is no longer relevant. Rather than treating the debate as a celebrity news cycle moment, she uses it to make a broader point about the enduring value of live performance, especially at a time when artificial intelligence is transforming much of the cultural economy.
Her comments emphasize that opera is not disappearing, even if traditional funding models are under pressure in parts of Europe. She also points to signs of renewal, including younger audiences engaging with the art form. As she notes, Opera America data show that more than half of first time opera attendees are under 45.
Parassidis also addresses the growing conversation around AI and the arts. Her argument is that opera and ballet remain fundamentally tied to physical presence, breath, discipline, and risk in real time, qualities that cannot be easily replicated by synthetic media. In that sense, the very qualities that make these forms seem outside the pace of pop culture may also be what make them durable.
For CM Culture, the Marie Claire Greece feature marks an important example of Soula bringing an artist’s voice into a wider cultural conversation about technology, relevance, and the future of live art.
You can read the Marie Claire op-ed here and the The Huffington Post feature here.
10 min read
Mar 6, 2026
Living Opera Releases “O Lola” from Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song
CM Culture is pleased to share the release of “O Lola”, the latest track from Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song, the new album project from Living Opera, distributed by Universal Music Group.
Mar 6, 2026
10 min read
Living Opera Releases “O Lola” from Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song
CM Culture is pleased to share the release of "O Lola", the latest track from Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song, the new album project from Living Opera, distributed by Universal Music Group.
Performed by tenor Norman Reinhardt, “O Lola ch’ai di latti la cammisa” from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana brings one of opera’s most haunting melodies into the broader musical and historical world of Radio Days. Produced by Grammy nominated songwriter Jeff Trott (If it makes you happy, Soak up the sun), and arranged by Academy Award winning arranger Patrick Warren, the recording reflects the project’s larger aim of connecting the operatic voice to the history of broadcast, recording, and American cultural memory.
The release also speaks to Living Opera’s wider artistic vision: presenting classical repertoire in ways that feel vivid, accessible, and culturally connected without losing musical depth. In the context of Radio Days, “O Lola” is not simply an isolated operatic excerpt. It becomes part of a larger story about how voices travel across media, from the early days of transmission to today’s digital platforms.
The project is led by soprano Soula Parassidis and Norman Reinhardt, founders of Living Opera Music, whose work continues to bridge performance, storytelling, and contemporary cultural strategy. Through releases like “O Lola,” Living Opera is building a model that treats classical music not as a closed tradition, but as a living form that can move across audiences, formats, and generations.
With Radio Days, that approach is especially clear: the project draws on the sound world of the past while presenting it with a distinctly modern framework for recording, distribution, and audience engagement. “O Lola” is a strong example of that balance, rooted in operatic tradition but shaped for a broader cultural conversation.