The Metropolitan Opera is to cut ticket prices by an average of 10%, reports the New York Times. The average cost of admission will drop to $156 from $174.
Peter Gelb said he expected that attendance would rise to compensate for the lost revenue.
The cut is prompted by falling audience figures. Gelb said that this year's price increase was not "as successful as it might have been", whatever that means, and that HD audiences had cannibalised audiences. The New York Times says that attendance this season is projected to average 81% compared with last season's 84%, and that ticket revenue is projected to fall by $4m.
More than 2,000 seats for each performance will cost less after the cut, but not everyone will be better off. This is a business move, not a social improvement measure. An orchestra aisle seat that is $360 this season will be $330 next, but the $20 seats in the rear of the family circle will rise by $5.
