17/02/2021
Since the pandemic first forced museums into lockdown last spring, a growing number of institutions have been trying to supplement lost income by selling tickets to experience their exhibitions online. If successful, the business model could provide a new source of revenue in the future and support further digital investment.
But, let’s face it—it’s a hard sell. To audiences used to experiencing museum objects in full IRL splendor, a wander around the Google Street View version of the Temple of Dendur is unlikely to measure up. And it’s equally tough to imagine an audience that isn’t your typical museum-going public ponying up $10 to watch a video of a curator walking through an exhibition when there are more sophisticated offers competing for their attention (and their dollars) online.
Nevertheless, the exceptional circumstances have forced museums to plumb the depths of their revenue-generating capacity. With millions of people bored and stuck indoors—last March, visitors to the Louvre’s website increased more than tenfold, while visitors to the British Museum’s website were up 137 percent—many have looked to capitalize on the increased online traffic.
In the UK, where most museums rely on at least some degree of government support, institutions have had an extra incentive to experiment with new business models. In a leaked letter from the culture secretary to museums last August, Oliver Dowden warned that if institutions did not show that they were “pursuing every opportunity to maximize alternative sources of income,” the government would perhaps reconsider further financial support to the sector.
So far, the experiments have had mixed results. London’s Design Museum has managed to sell more than 5,000 tickets for its online programs since the first lockdown in March. Today, online visitors can access a virtual walkthrough of its electronic music exhibition for £7, and for £5 can immerse themselves in a 360-degree digital version of the museum and “walk around” its “Designs of the Year” exhibit. The museum is also offering tickets (usually priced around £5) to its program of talks and other live events.
The strategy has generated “much needed income to support the museum during closure,” a spokesperson for the museum tells Artnet News.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum in New York has found some success with a program of paid virtual tours it launched in June. The 60-minute group tours include live discussions around a collection-based topic or special exhibition, and cost $300 per group of up to 40 people ($200 for students). Between July and December, the museum served some 116 groups with this option, generating between $23,000 and $34,000. In the same time period, it ran 156 of its 45-minute tours for younger school groups, which cost $200 per class (and was free for New York public schools).
It’s unclear whether other museums’ virtual tours are getting the same traction. Despite saying it was “popular” and “doing well,” a spokesman for London’s National Gallery declined to share numbers for the uptake on its £8 online tour of its Artemisia Gentileschi exhibition that launched in December. And it’s hard to see these virtual tours holding the same allure once people return to museums in person.
