Pirates for Classical Music
Classical music has world-class content and deeply engaged audiences. What it lacks is innovation in everything that surrounds the music — the experience, the access, the technology, the business model. In this 2018 keynote summary, preserved as historical record, Bernhard Kerres argues for an Ideathon-and-incubator approach to bring entrepreneurial energy into classical music institutions that cannot build innovation labs alone.
Published 2018-10-24 by Bernhard Kerres
This essay is the published summary of a keynote I delivered at the Nordic Orchestra Conference in Stockholm on 24 October 2018. It is preserved here as the historical record of an argument that was, at the time, considered genuinely provocative inside the classical music industry. Since 2018, several of the startups mentioned have moved on — Primephonic was acquired by Apple in 2021 and folded into Apple Music Classical, Idagio has continued to operate independently, Medici.tv remains active, and the broader landscape of classical music technology has shifted significantly. The argument about what classical music institutions need from innovation has, if anything, become more relevant. — BK, April 2026
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Pirates find treasures. How they go about finding and getting them might be unorthodox and different.
Classical music is a treasure. A great, living treasure. But we need to find new ways — unorthodox and different ways — to spread our passion for classical music and the good which is enshrined in this incredible art form.
Last week I came home late from the office. It was already cold outside. I was looking forward to some quality time with friends and family, a good meal, perhaps a glass of wine. Instead I had to go out again into the cold. I had to go to a place where I had to sit quietly and uncomfortably for over two hours. I was neither allowed to check my email or update my social media status on my smartphone, nor to comment on my experience to my neighbor. Luckily there was a break in between. But the choice of either queuing for a visit to the bathroom or for a glass of wine was almost unsolvable. Doing both would be impossible in the twenty minutes available to me. I went for the glass of wine, just to find myself nipping on an overpriced wine of low quality before rushing back into the hall. At last I could make my way home through a cold and dark night.
This is a typical customer journey for any concert visitor. When thinking of it that way, one might be surprised that anyone is still coming to listen to classical music at all. Concert halls and opera houses do not provide for a nice night out.
When I asked people if classical music needs pirates to innovate, 80% answered yes. It is time for innovation in classical music — not for the product itself, which is fantastic, but for the experience around it.
Innovation, not evolution
Innovation requires revolution. It needs something new. A new approach. Often a radical approach. Whereas evolution leads to improvement. Most classical music institutions are doing great work in improving their products and services. Just think of the outreach work done all over, the use of digital tools from streaming to marketing and more.
But when talking about innovation, what is required? Research over many years has unearthed four issues to consider:
- Innovation can only happen outside existing locations and organizations.
- Teams need to be able to organize themselves freely and without interference from HR departments.
- Team members want to be recognized — often in a hidden way — for their work and achievements.
- Innovation requires an independent ambassador who is respected by the innovation team and has the ear of the leadership of the funding organization.
Classical music has seen a lot of innovation over the last decade. Almost all of it is coming from outside existing institutions. Think about the streaming startups that emerged independently of the big labels — Primephonic, Medici.tv, Idagio. Or think about the service apps such as MusicTraveler and Oktav.
Classical music institutions do not have the size to set up their own innovation labs. They are too small. Only a company with thousands of employees and turnover in the hundreds of millions has the resources to set up its own innovation lab and to invest in new ideas.
A regional approach
Classical music institutions in a region might therefore think about pooling resources and setting up a joint innovation lab — for example in the Nordic region, or on the West Coast of the United States. A starting point could be a professionally organized Ideathon for classical music. At an Ideathon, entrepreneurs, tech people, classical music industry insiders, and musicians come together over two to three days to develop concrete ideas to tackle an issue in classical music. Ideathons are derived from hackathons, a well-proven process for solving programming and coding challenges in the tech industry.
The winner or winners of the Ideathon can then be placed in an incubator or accelerator in the region, where they would receive mentoring and an entrepreneurship program. Incubators and accelerators are locations in many cities around the world where several startups undergo a program at the same time. The classical music startups would gain contacts to the institutions behind the program, providing early feedback and sales channels. At the same time, it would give the institutions early access to innovation.
Innovation is happening, and it is needed. Everywhere. But especially in a fantastic art form which is currently constrained by a presentation format developed over a hundred years ago, when the first public concert halls were built. Embracing innovation now will provide future generations with the values classical music can bring to people and societies.
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If you work inside a classical music institution — orchestra, opera house, festival, conservatory — and the question of how to bring innovation alongside artistic excellence is one you are wrestling with, that is a conversation I have often. Reach me at bernhardkerres.com (https://book.bernhardkerres.com/meetings/).
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About the author
Bernhard Kerres trained as an opera singer before joining Booz Allen Hamilton as a strategy consultant, then moved into CFO and CEO roles at two listed European technology companies, and served from 2007 to 2013 as CEO and Artistic Director (Intendant) of the Wiener Konzerthaus. Today he works as a leadership coach, executive advisor, and keynote speaker. He is a PCC-certified ICF coach, holds an MBA from London Business School, and was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art. He is the founder of RolePlays.ai, an AI platform for practicing high-stakes leadership conversations.