Managing cultural organisations is no easy feat in any period, let alone during a global instability and economic turndown. Today, managers must reconcile artistic and cultural missions with economic sustainability, technological transformation, changing audience expectations, new forms of participation, multiple funding sources and a growing responsibility towards society.

This fully revised second edition of Managing the Cultural Business offers a practical and conceptually grounded toolbox for understanding these challenges through a distinctive perspective: learning from the mistakes that organisations make. Bringing together international scholars and practitioners, the book examines the recurring managerial assumptions, decisions and practices that can prevent cultural organisations from creating and sustaining value. Across eleven interconnected chapters, the book explores business models, strategy and governance, planning and improvisation, performance measurement, data and artificial intelligence, audience experience and segmentation, fundraising, communication and societal impact. Rather than treating these as separate managerial functions, it shows how they interact within increasingly complex and adaptive cultural organisations. Combining theory, contemporary cases and managerial insight, this book helps current and future cultural managers recognise recurring mistakes, challenge established assumptions, ask better questions and make more informed decisions while keeping innovation firmly connected to cultural purpose.

Essential reading for students of arts and cultural management, this insightful book channels national and supranational cultural heritage with a blend of theory and practice.

Michela Addis is Professor of Marketing at the Università di Roma Tre, Italy.

Andrea Rurale is SDA Bocconi Professor of Marketing at Bocconi University, Italy.