The evolution and development of arts marketing research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to carry out a longitudinal review of arts marketing research. Design/methodology/approach The paper looks back at the origins of arts marketing research, identifying the initial areas of interest and traces its development as a recognised research domain. Findings Arts marketing research has evolved from being an application of marketing using long‐held principles into a discipline where critical and creative approaches are now being used to generate more meaningful and actionable arts marketing theory. Research limitations/implications Although arts marketing research has developed in terms of rigour, depth and reach, there is still much unexplored potential to be realised. Practical implications The paper shows that effective arts marketing consists of a balance of addressing artistic needs and customer expectations. The marketing involved must acknowledge the merits of artistic philosophy, while also addressing the commercial realities of today's arts world. Originality/value Only a very small number of assessments of the state of arts marketing knowledge have been carried out. The paper develops both a longitudinal analysis of the origins and growth of this knowledge and provides suggestions for future research.