Discounting is Not Devaluing: Why Accessible Ticketing is a DEI Imperative in the Arts
- Tanesha Ford
- Apr 7, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 1
Let’s talk about ticket prices.
If your arts organization refuses to consider discounting packages, pay-what-you-will nights, or affinity group ticketing strategies, let me say the quiet part out loud: you are upholding exclusionary systems rooted in white supremacist culture. Full stop.
That might sound harsh. But let’s break it down.
The Cost of Exclusion
Decades of research—and our own lived experiences—show that price is one of the most significant barriers preventing marginalized communities from accessing professional arts experiences.
According to Createquity, in 2015, 43% of interested non-attendees from the lowest income quartile cited cost as the reason they didn’t go to a cultural event. And the sad fact is that the percentage hasn't moved overly much. When you're living paycheck to paycheck, spending $75+ on a single theater ticket is just impractical.
Especially when the economy isn't doing well.
This disproportionately affects Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latino, disabled, and economically disadvantaged communities—many of whom are the same communities we claim to serve and uplift.
If your ticket pricing structures don’t account for the lived economic reality of these audiences, then your DEI statement is performance art, not policy.
Why the “Discounting Devalues Art” Argument Doesn’t Hold
Some folks push back with concerns about “devaluing the work” or “cheapening the brand.” And sure, research does show that indiscriminate discounting can erode perceived fairness and lower long-term profitability if not managed strategically. But let’s be real—those risks apply to blanket discounts aimed at everyone, not targeted, thoughtful, inclusive access strategies.
This isn't about training audiences to expect cheap seats. It’s about removing systemic economic barriers that were never evenly distributed in the first place.
Programs like New York's Theatre Development Fund (TDF) offer proof that targeted discounting works. By offering reduced-price tickets to students, seniors, and low-income individuals, TDF has successfully broadened audience demographics and expanded access. That’s not devaluation. That’s an investment in a more just arts ecosystem.
Discounting as a Tool for Inclusion (Not a Handout)
As Pine and Gilmore said in The Experience Economy, we’re not just selling tickets—we’re selling an experience. And when you center the experience on community, accessibility, and belonging, you create something worth far more than the ticket price.
Discounting isn’t about giving away your art. It’s about strategically eliminating a gatekeeping mechanism that was never equitable to begin with.
It’s about building new relationships with audiences who may not have seen themselves reflected on stage—or in the price tag at the box office.
It’s about repairing harm done by decades of exclusionary pricing structures that have treated people of color and low-income patrons as charity cases, not stakeholders in cultural production.
And yes, it’s about acknowledging that pricing is political.
The Roots Run Deep
If we trace back the origins of arts patronage in America, we find that access to the performing arts has historically been a luxury for the white and wealthy. Subsidized by wealthy donors, exclusive venues, and rigid social norms, the “high art” world has long positioned itself as something to be consumed by a select few and about them, too.
To resist creating affordable access points today is to cling to the residue of this legacy.
And whether intentional or not, that’s gatekeeping.
That’s white supremacy culture in practice.
What We Can Do Instead
If you're worried about sustaining revenue while broadening access, consider tiered pricing, affinity group ticketing, pay-what-you-can nights, or sponsorship-backed discount programs. Some organizations offer industry or community previews with “pay-it-forward” options that let audience members fund a neighbor’s seat.
Use the data. Segment your audiences. Track outcomes. Create equity-focused strategies that respect both your mission and your sustainability.
Because accessibility without affordability is a broken promise. And DEI without economic inclusion is just a buzzword.
Closing Call to Action
Your mission says you serve “diverse communities.” Prove it.
Your strategic plan says you want to grow audiences. Start here.
Your programming celebrates stories from the margins. Make sure the people who live those stories can afford to be in the room.
Let’s move past the outdated belief that “discount” means “less than.” Let’s reframe it as what it truly is: an intentional act of justice.
And let’s commit to building an arts ecosystem where access isn’t a privilege—it’s a principle.
📢 What discounting or inclusion-based pricing strategies has your organization tried? What challenges—or successes—have you experienced?
🎭 Let’s keep talking. And more importantly—let’s keep evolving.
Sources & Further Reading:
Let’s talk about ticket prices.
If your arts organization refuses to consider discounting packages, pay-what-you-will nights, or affinity group ticketing strategies, let me say the quiet part out loud: you are upholding exclusionary systems rooted in white supremacist culture. Full stop.
That might sound harsh. But let’s break it down.
The Cost of Exclusion
Decades of research—and our own lived experiences—show that price is one of the most significant barriers preventing marginalized communities from accessing professional arts experiences. According to Createquity, in 2015 43% of interested non-attendees from the lowest income quartile cited cost as the reason they didn’t go to a cultural event. And the sad fact is that percentage hasn't moved overly much. When you're living paycheck to paycheck, spending $75+ on a single theater ticket isn’t just impractical—it’s impossible. Especially when the economy isn't doing well.
This disproportionately affects Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latino, disabled, and economically disadvantaged communities—many of whom are the same communities we claim to serve and uplift.
If your ticket pricing structures don’t account for the lived economic reality of these audiences, then your DEI statement is performance art, not policy.
Why the “Discounting Devalues Art” Argument Doesn’t Hold
Some folks push back with concerns about “devaluing the work” or “cheapening the brand.” And sure, research does show that indiscriminate discounting can erode perceived fairness and lower long-term profitability if not managed strategically. But let’s be real—those risks apply to blanket discounts aimed at everyone, not targeted, thoughtful, inclusive access strategies.
This isn't about training audiences to expect cheap seats. It’s about removing systemic economic barriers that were never evenly distributed in the first place.
Programs like New York's Theatre Development Fund (TDF) offer proof that targeted discounting works. By offering reduced-price tickets to students, seniors, and low-income individuals, TDF has successfully broadened audience demographics and expanded access. That’s not devaluation. That’s an investment in a more just arts ecosystem.
Discounting as a Tool for Inclusion (Not a Handout)
As Pine and Gilmore said in The Experience Economy, we’re not just selling tickets—we’re selling an experience. And when you center the experience on community, accessibility, and belonging, you create something worth far more than the ticket price.
Discounting isn’t about giving away your art. It’s about strategically eliminating a gatekeeping mechanism that was never equitable to begin with.
It’s about building new relationships with audiences who may not have seen themselves reflected on stage—or in the price tag at the box office.
It’s about repairing harm done by decades of exclusionary pricing structures that have treated people of color and low-income patrons as charity cases, not stakeholders in cultural production.
And yes, it’s about acknowledging that pricing is political.
The Roots Run Deep
If we trace back the origins of arts patronage in America, we find that access to the performing arts has historically been a luxury for the white and wealthy. Subsidized by wealthy donors, exclusive venues, and rigid social norms, the “high art” world has long positioned itself as something to be consumed by a select few and about them, too.
To resist creating affordable access points today is to cling to the residue of this legacy.
And whether intentional or not, that’s gatekeeping.
That’s white supremacy culture in practice.
What We Can Do Instead
If you're worried about sustaining revenue while broadening access, consider tiered pricing, affinity group ticketing, pay-what-you-can nights, or sponsorship-backed discount programs. Some organizations offer industry or community previews with “pay-it-forward” options that let audience members fund a neighbor’s seat.
Use the data. Segment your audiences. Track outcomes. Create equity-focused strategies that respect both your mission and your sustainability.
Because accessibility without affordability is a broken promise. And DEI without economic inclusion is just a buzzword.
Closing Call to Action
Your mission says you serve “diverse communities.” Prove it.
Your strategic plan says you want to grow audiences. Start here.
Your programming celebrates stories from the margins. Make sure the people who live those stories can afford to be in the room.
Let’s move past the outdated belief that “discount” means “less than.” Let’s reframe it as what it truly is: an intentional act of justice.
And let’s commit to building an arts ecosystem where access isn’t a privilege—it’s a principle.
📢 What discounting or inclusion-based pricing strategies has your organization tried? What challenges—or successes—have you experienced?
Let’s keep talking. And more importantly, let’s keep evolving.
Sources & Further Reading:
Createquity: Why Don’t They Come? 2015
Theatre Development Fund (TDF) – tdf.org
Jin & You (2019). “Do Discounts in Ticket Prices Induce Sustainable Profit to Performing Arts Suppliers?” MDPI Sustainability Journal
Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the Experience Economy, Harvard Business Review
National Endowment for the Arts – Arts Participation Data
The Guardian: Boosting Public Funding for Inclusive Arts Access
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