{"id":42025,"date":"2023-10-20T15:18:11","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/private-gig-booking-app-parlour-sweet-music-to-musicians-ears-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:18:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:18:11","slug":"private-gig-booking-app-parlour-sweet-music-to-musicians-ears-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/private-gig-booking-app-parlour-sweet-music-to-musicians-ears-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Private gig booking app Parlour sweet music to musicians\u2019 ears – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Working as a professional musician for a decade, Matt Walters knows all too well the challenges of operating in the music industry.<\/p>\n

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He toured nearly constantly, and was on a major label for a while, but due to overheads, venue prices and the like, still struggled to get by.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI had to play live shows to make ends meet, but often with the structure of the live music industry, I wasn\u2019t getting paid properly,\u201d Walters says. \u201cMost of the money was just going back into touring, and I was barely breaking even.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now the Melbourne-based artist has created a startup he thinks can solve this problem, with the aim of ensuring musicians are paid properly for their performances, and punters get a different gig experience.<\/p>\n

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Walters launched Parlour in January, an online platform connecting musicians with people willing to host a show at their own home or other space, effectively cutting out the concert promoter middleman who often takes the lion\u2019s share of profit. Almost 900 artists have already signed up.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE: Live music crowdsourcing platform GiggedIn grabs $500,000 in seed funding<\/i><\/a> <\/i><\/p>\n

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Users can enter their details on the site if they want to host a show, with information about the location and a wish-list of bands. Musicians can also sign up and be connected with one of these potential hosts. Ticket prices are usually around $10, and artists take 90% of the sales.<\/p>\n

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Walters played his first house show in 2011, and was immediately drawn to the concept.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith all the overheads removed, I realised I can actually get paid properly,\u201d he says. \u201cI fell in love with the experience, and with the communion of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Parlour has already hosted about 50 gigs from the likes of Lisa Mitchell, Dan Kelly, Jen Cloher and Oh Mercy, with many more to come.<\/p>\n

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Parlour shows have happened everywhere from sheds to yoga studios, and this is part of the startup\u2019s appeal, Walters says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou can have a pretty banal space, but if you bring music into it you can bring it to life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople have a desire to have an experience that isn\u2019t going to a stadium or even a smaller venue.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey want something more intimate that they can experience with their close friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The team of four at Parlour currently connects artists to potential hosts, but they\u2019re working on creating a platform that allows this process to be done entirely autonomously by artists.<\/p>\n

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The first ever Parlour gig was in Walters\u2019 own backyard, and served as a proof-of-concept of sorts for the idea.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf I can get this right in my backyard, then I can scale it,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what happened. It gave me confidence in the concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Parlour has recently expanded nationally, with requests already coming in from Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.<\/p>\n

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Raising your<\/i> first round of capital<\/i><\/a>? Starting a<\/i> crowdfunding campaign<\/i><\/a>? Want to grow your business<\/i> with Instagram?<\/i><\/a> <\/i>StartupSmart School can help.<\/i><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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