Dan Mangan is a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter with two Juno Awards to his name and he’s added startup founder to his resume as well.
Mangan’s rise in the music ranks was not overnight. It was slow and hard and he’s no stranger to the tiny venues that struggling musicians are resigned to play until they make it—Jimmy Kimmel Live—or die trying.
Mangan co-founded Side Door with Laura Simpson (pictured) in hopes of changing that and creating a thriving middle class of musician in the process. Side Door is an online platform that matches artists with spaces to create shows anytime, anywhere.
Today the co-founders got one step closer to making their dream a reality with news that they have raised a USD $3 million seed round led by Vancouver’s own Rhino Ventures.
According to Mangan, in its simplest form Side Door is like Airbnb but for shows. “Any space is a venue, this room is a venue, your living room, your backyard, bookstore, warehouse, juice factory, any space”.
“In my world 97 per cent of touring acts are unrepresented by an agent, so they’re finding themselves gigs any way they can. Even within that 3 per cent that are represented by an agent, most of them could use some extra work and are looking for it,” Mangan told Techcouver at launch.
With the new funding Mangan’s goal is to see 100,000 artists that people have rarely or never heard of making $100,000 a year.
Side Door matches artists with hosts, builds direct connections, and simplifies the show-booking process with easy and transparent digital tools.
The artist makes more money while gaining dedicated fans, the host gains the pride of having curated something special for their community, and the audience enjoys a unique and intimate experience.
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