Tessitura software
Encyclopedia
Tessitura is an enterprise application used by performing arts
and cultural organisations to manage their activities in ticket
ing, fundraising
, customer relationship management
, and marketing
. It refers to itself as "arts enterprise software".
One of the most interesting aspects of the Tessitura system, which distinguishes it from most other commercial software, is the business model
chosen by the Metropolitan Opera in order to commercialise what was originally bespoke software. The Metropolitan Opera maintains ownership of the intellectual property
in the original software, but established a separate organization called Tessitura Network (as a not-for-profit corporation with 501(c)3 status under United States
tax law
) to manage the ongoing development and support of the system. The Tessitura Network now licenses users, handles management, maintenance and development of the system, and fosters an active exchange of best practices and knowledge sharing within the nonprofit arts and cultural sector. The Tessitura Network is effectively a cooperative enterprise, governed via a Board elected by and from, and representative of, the licensees of the system.
This business model has an obvious resonance with the not-for-profit and self-governing ethos of the arts community, and is one reason why Tessitura has rapidly come to dominate the (deliberately restricted) market in which it operates - English-speaking
, not-for-profit, arts organisations with a need for ticketing and fundraising systems.
This model has resulted in a number of interesting characteristics for Tessitura Network as a software company.
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and cultural organisations to manage their activities in ticket
Ticket
Ticket may refer to:* Ticket , a card or slip of paper used to gain admission to a location or event* Ticket , a card or slip of paper that designates one's position in a queue or ownership of an item to be picked up...
ing, fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
, customer relationship management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
, and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. It refers to itself as "arts enterprise software".
History and Business model
Tessitura was originally developed by and for the The Metropolitan Opera.One of the most interesting aspects of the Tessitura system, which distinguishes it from most other commercial software, is the business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
chosen by the Metropolitan Opera in order to commercialise what was originally bespoke software. The Metropolitan Opera maintains ownership of the intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
in the original software, but established a separate organization called Tessitura Network (as a not-for-profit corporation with 501(c)3 status under United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
) to manage the ongoing development and support of the system. The Tessitura Network now licenses users, handles management, maintenance and development of the system, and fosters an active exchange of best practices and knowledge sharing within the nonprofit arts and cultural sector. The Tessitura Network is effectively a cooperative enterprise, governed via a Board elected by and from, and representative of, the licensees of the system.
This business model has an obvious resonance with the not-for-profit and self-governing ethos of the arts community, and is one reason why Tessitura has rapidly come to dominate the (deliberately restricted) market in which it operates - English-speaking
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, not-for-profit, arts organisations with a need for ticketing and fundraising systems.
This model has resulted in a number of interesting characteristics for Tessitura Network as a software company.
- There is a very high degree of user commitment and involvement in the community of users - so much so that one commentator has likened implementing Tessitura to a religious conversionReligious conversionReligious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
, and the annual conference is frequently compared by attendees to a revival meetingRevival meetingA revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
. - There is a strong emphasis within the company on direct business involvement - most of the company staff are ex-employees of licencees, and almost all come from an arts management background, rather than a IT background
- Enhancement requests are subject to a voting process.
- The strong involvement of users in the company, and the direct linking of maintenance fees to expenditures under licencee control, has enabled the company to run a very lean operation. For example, including a contractual commitment to taking each upgrade within a 90-day window puts a substantial limit on the costs of supporting old versions, but would be difficult to sustain in a more usual business model.
System Functionality
The Tessitura system is designed to be flexible, customisable, and open, and therefore has a good capacity to be tailored for each organisation. Functional areas include:- TicketTicketTicket may refer to:* Ticket , a card or slip of paper used to gain admission to a location or event* Ticket , a card or slip of paper that designates one's position in a queue or ownership of an item to be picked up...
ing - FundraisingFundraisingFundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
- Constituent (ie customerCustomerA customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
, donorDonorA donor in general is a person who donates something voluntarily. Usually used to represent a form of pure altruism but sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognised by all parties as representing less than the value of the donation and that the motivation is altruistic...
, or sponsorSponsorTo sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. A sponsor is the individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor.-Definition:...
) relationship management - Web APIWeb apiA web API is typically a defined set of HTTP request messages along with a definition of the structure of response messages, typically expressed in JSON or XML...
- Marketing tools
In the USA
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Dallas Opera The Dallas Opera is an opera company located in Dallas, Texas . The company was founded in 1957 as the Dallas Civic Opera by Laurence Kelly and Nicolà Rescigno, both of whom had been active with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the first as administrator, the second as artistic director.-The company's... Dallas Symphony Orchestra The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra. It performs its concerts in the Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States.... Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Fort Worth, Texas. The orchestra performs at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth... Goodman Theatre The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization... (Chicago) Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in... (Minneapolis) High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was... (Atlanta) Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana.Annually, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs 200 concerts for over 350,000 people. It is the largest performing arts organization in Indiana. The ISO is currently one of only 18 American... Kaufman Center Kaufman Center is a notable performing arts complex in New York City that houses Lucy Moses School, the Special Music School, and Merkin Concert Hall. Originally known as the Hebrew Arts School, it was founded in 1952 and is currently located on West 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam... (New York) Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:... Pittsburgh Cultural Trust The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts organization, is a driving catalyst behind the ongoing development of the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District, Pittsburgh... Portland Center Stage Portland Center Stage is a theater company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Theater productions are presented at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland's Pearl District. PCS was founded in 1988 as the northern sibling of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon... (OR) Ruth Eckerd Hall Ruth Eckerd Hall is a performing arts venue, located in Clearwater, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area and is part of the Richard B. Baumgardner Center for the Performing Arts.... (Clearwater, FL) San Diego Symphony The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. On 6 December 1910, it gave its first concert as the San Diego Civic Orchestra.Currently, the Symphony performs over 100 concerts each season... San Francisco Ballet The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States... San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America... San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization... San Francisco Jazz Festival Debuting in 1983, the San Francisco Jazz Festival is an annual three-week celebration of today's best music, with over 30 concerts. Produced by SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz and jazz education... (San Francisco) Science Museum of Minnesota The Science Museum of Minnesota is an American museum focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science and mathematics education. Founded in 1907 and located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the 501 nonprofit institution is staffed by over 500 employees and over 1,600 volunteers... |
Seattle Opera The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often... Signature Theatre Company Signature Theatre Company, founded in 1991 by James Houghton, exists to honor and celebrate the playwright. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process... Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. It has since relocated to Chicago's Halsted Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Its name comes from... The Metropolitan Opera Guild The Metropolitan Opera Guild was established in 1935 to broaden the base of support for the Metropolitan Opera, promote greater interest in opera, and develop future audiences by reaching out to a wide public and serving as an educational resource that provides programs, publications, materials and... The Wilma Theater The Wilma Theater is a 501 non-profit theater company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:It was founded in 1973 as the Wilma Project to encourage theatrical productions of original material and the development of community artists. In 1979, Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka of former... (Philadelphia) TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley) TheatreWorks is a non-profit, professional theater company based in Menlo Park, California and founded in July, 1970. The company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres and employs some 300 artists annually, including Equity and non-Equity actors, directors, designers and specialty artists... University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los... - Arts and Lectures University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States... Westport Country Playhouse Westport Country Playhouse, is a not-for-profit theater in Westport, Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos the Playhouse produces new and classic plays for the public.... (Westport, CT) Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located at 641 D Street NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It produces new plays which it believes to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provoking... (Washington, DC) Yale Repertory Theatre The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the... |
In Canada
- Calgary OperaCalgary OperaThe Calgary Opera is a Canadian professional opera company in Calgary, Alberta, originally known as the Southern Alberta Opera Association. It performs in the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, accompanied by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Opera Chorus...
- Harbourfront CentreHarbourfront CentreHarbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on Toronto, Ontario's waterfront, situated at 235 Queen's Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the federal government to create a waterfront park, it became a non-profit organization in 1991. Funding comes from corporate...
- Kitchener-Waterloo SymphonyKitchener-Waterloo SymphonyThe Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony is a Canadian orchestra based in the twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario. Its home venue is Centre In The Square in Kitchener, Ontario. Music Directors and Principal Conductors have included Raffi Armenian , Chosei Komatsu , Martin Fischer-Dieskau and...
- National Ballet of CanadaNational Ballet of CanadaThe National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
- Stratford Shakespeare Festival
- Vancouver Playhouse
- Victoria SymphonyVictoria SymphonyThe Victoria Symphony is a Canadian orchestra based in Victoria, British Columbia. It is considered by some to be Vancouver Island's premiere active performing arts organization. Currently directed by Tania Miller - one of North America's first female musical directors - the staff consist of both...
- Vancouver OperaVancouver OperaVancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
In the UK
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In Australia
- Australian Brandenburg OrchestraAustralian Brandenburg OrchestraThe Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is an Australian period instrument orchestra specialising in the performance of baroque and classical music.The musicians play from original edition scores on restored or reproduced instruments of the 18th century...
- Australian Chamber OrchestraAustralian Chamber OrchestraThe Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appointed Artistic Director....
- Bell Shakespeare
- Melbourne Recital CentreMelbourne Recital CentreThe Melbourne Recital Centre is Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music . It was opened in 2009, as part of the Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre complex, and is located on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct,...
- Melbourne Theatre CompanyMelbourne Theatre CompanyThe Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
- Opera AustraliaOpera AustraliaOpera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
- The Seymour CentreThe Seymour CentreThe Seymour Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts centre within the University of Sydney, NSW in the Australian city of Sydney. It is located on the corner of City Rd and Cleveland St in Chippendale, an inner-circle suburb, just south-west of the city centre.The building was designed by...
- Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
- The Arts CentreThe Arts Centre (Melbourne)The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
- The Australian Ballet