Who is the potential audience for classical music? The case of the Czech Republic

This article aims to identify and segment the potential but non-attending audiences of classical music in the Czech Republic – individuals who express a positive attitude towards classical music but have not attended any concert or festival in the past year. Drawing on representative data from MML-TGI 2021 (N = 3,610, representing one-fifth of the total Czech population), the study applies factor and cluster analysis to identify five distinct segments: Reserved, Musicians, Emotional Cultural Traditionalists, Culturally Engaged Supporters, and Anti-Consumerist Art Lovers. Key findings demonstrate that non-attendance is not a homogeneous phenomenon but reflects diverse barriers, ranging from low cultural engagement and lack of habit to organizational constraints or mismatches between program offerings and personal values. Compared with existing literature on active audiences, the study shows that cultural capital and musical competence alone do not ensure attendance, as some culturally competent segments remain absent due to programme-related or contextual factors. The results provide a basis for segment-specific strategies within the 4P marketing mix and offer practical guidance for cultural management, audience development, and cultural policy.