Offer says they went with the latter to cover the cost their website and insurance, and they switched from the donation model to charging for tickets. Richard Branson’s Virgin empire is now a financial partner, and the company collaborated with Airbnb in March.Īs SoFar Sounds' growth continued, it became necessary to clarify whether it was a nonprofit or a for-profit business. SoFar's model worked well enough to get into 60 countries. The arrangement was particularly attractive to unknown visiting artists, who were guaranteed audiences with support from well-known locals. Joanna Jurgens, a woman who had experience booking shows, stepped in to helm the DFW branch, which she continues to do.īecause the pay-what-you-want system wasn't yielding much profit for the company or the artists, SoFar Sounds sold the bands on the exposure they'd get from playing. They continued to throw shows, run by volunteers who would also take donations for the artists, but for the first five years it was just a hobby.Īt that point, SoFar began expanding beyond London into other major cities, and it reached Dallas in 2012. Their first show was a success it was so still in the room that attendees could hear the clocks ticking. So we just tried it in Dave’s house and that was the first one.” It was just new at that moment to us because we were so fed up. “People have been having house concerts since Mozart’s time. “What we came up with was not a new idea,” Offer says. They came up with the concept after a not-so-positive experience at a Friendly Fires show, where the music was drowned out by chatter and clinking glasses. Rafe Offer, who is from Chicago but had moved to London for work, co-founded SoFar with two partners, Dave Alexander and Rocky Start. SoFar started in 2009 in London, but it wasn't a business at first. Plus, they asking us to work up a whole special set for this show.” “That's roughly 3 percent of the draw they're claiming to make off ticket sales. Kirkpatrick says he was told that if Nervous Curtains played a second show with SoFar, it would receive a $50 guarantee. “Plus, we did Violitionist Sessions twice without having to feel that someone else was profiting off our art.” “For a band that has been around as long as we have and have made multiple music videos, that has no value to us,” Kirkpatrick says. Nervous Curtains has toured throughout the country and has a solid fan base, so it wasn't worth it for the group. Instead, it offers them exposure and professionally shot and edited videos of their performances. tweet this SoFar typically doesn't pay the musicians who perform. "I have been handed far less than $50 for a one-hour set in a 'legit club,'" drummer Jeff Gretz says. “They have apparently tapped into a clientele that isn't otherwise tuned into local DIY events in their community.” “It's not my place to tell them they shouldn't interfere with the house-show world,” he says. SoFar says it's not trying to compete with other locals putting on house shows, but to Kirkpatrick, it seemed liked it was trying to capitalize on that trend. Sean Kirkpatrick of Nervous Curtains says his band was asked to play one of the company's shows in Denton. But after a story by an NPR affiliate in San Francisco was passed around Facebook, locals began asking where the proceeds from ticket sales were going and whether an invitation to play one of the shows is really the great opportunity it's made out to be. If you're a musician, this setup is theoretically a good way to get your name out to an audience that's actually paying attention and listening. There are short breaks, but you are discouraged from leaving until all of the performances have finished. The shows are heavily branded, and attendees are encouraged to take pictures and videos on their phones during performances and post them to Facebook and Instagram. Once you get there, each artist will play for 20 minutes while you and a couple dozen other attendees sit on the ground, watching. If you are accepted, you will be sent the show details the day before the event. Only the neighborhood and the time of the show is listed.Īt that point, you can "apply" for tickets, which are $13 to $15. On the SoFar website, users can view upcoming shows in their cities. The lineup is not advertised ahead of time. SoFar shows are more showcase previews than what you'd see at a club. It's been in DFW since 2012, but over the past few weeks, Dallas musicians have questioned the company's business model on social media. SoFar Sounds is a London-based company that throws secret, intimate concerts in 350 cities across the world.
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