The authors used multiple methods to identify literature on audience building. These included searching online publication databases and catalogs, reviewing library shelves under relevant call numbers, and searching Google Scholar. 

They followed up on citations in works as they were identified, consulting online blogs to see if these referenced additional literature, and searched websites of key institutions in the field such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Focusing on current literature, they searched for material published after 2000 (for a review of earlier literature, see McCarthy and Jinnett 2001).

The authors also used multiple methods to identify literature on the financial health of performing arts organizations. They found relatively little literature on the financial health of the arts, and even less literature specific to the performing arts. Consequently, they also explored aspects of the broader nonprofit financial health literature that might prove relevant for research on performing arts, particularly with respect to definitions and metrics of financial health. 

They initially reviewed well-known and widely cited literature. They identified additional sources by searching online publication databases and catalogs and searching Google Scholar. The authors followed up on literature from citations in works as they were identified, reviewing relevant journal indexes in detail and searching websites of key institutions in the field such as the Americans for the Arts and various performing arts professional associations. 

As with the literature review on audience building, they concentrated on locating work published since 2000. However, they also considered Baumol and Bowen’s classic work on “cost disease” (1965; 1966). While written over 50 years ago, it continues to exert significant influence on the discussion of the economics of nonprofit performing arts. 

Their research was guided by the following orienting questions: 

• What is the definition and scope of “audience building” and “financial health” addressed in the literature? 
• What does the literature say about the current state of attendance and financial health?
• What does the literature say about why nonprofit performing arts organizations are experiencing declines in audience? 
• What does it say about why nonprofit performing arts organizations are experiencing financial problems? 
• What does the literature say about how organizations are responding, and which approaches are more successful or less successful? 
• What are the major gaps and unanswered questions?