Consumer behaviour in the performing arts

This chapter deals with a fundamental topic for presentation to a cultural economics class, that is, consumer behaviour, with reference to one of the traditional cultural sectors – the performing arts. The heterogeneity of this sector makes it an excellent field for exploring and comparing different patterns of consumption, aiming to highlight how consumer behaviour in the cultural sector does not fit the standard assumptions of neoclassical economic theory. The chapter includes both participation analysis and the choice of repertoire by opera houses worldwide. These topics are intended as a starting point from which to begin a discussion among students, aiming to derive patterns of consumption that can be explained through theories of cultural economics.