This book examines the relationship of audience development to cultural policy and offers a ground-breaking perspective on how the practice of audience development is connected to ideas of democratic access to culture. Drawing from a rich range of interviews with key individuals in the audience development field, the book argues for a re-conceptualisation of audience development as an ideological function of cultural policy. - Provides a new understanding of the relationship between audiences and the arts - Fundamentally changes the idea of audience development and its relationship to cultural policy - Argues that arts management has misunderstood arts marketing and audience development