Spotlight_October/November/December_2022

and the other in Vancouver, they were already running the business with a remote team so meeting online and via Zoom was part of their culture. Because of their experience online, they came up with the idea of experimenting with online artist performances using Zoom. Being a true Canadian Technology Company, Side Door was also able to solve the ‘Zoom Bombers’ problem before Zoom’s own technical team. Simpson and Mangan wanted to make sure Side Door offered a secure way of buying tickets where only purchasing customers enjoyed the very intimate and interactive show experience online. The production of the online shows was very successful, and Side Door ended up branch- ing out to doing broadcast shows as well. By the end of the peak of the pandemic, Side Door had streamed over 1200 online shows. As pandemic restrictions were being lifted, people were having pandemic burnout; the online music experience was losing its appeal with both the audiences and the artists starving to get back to live shows again. The Side Door team saw this as the opportunity to start pivoting away from streaming back to in-per- son small-venue live events even when it looked like pandemic numbers were starting to rise again. Simpson explains, “It felt really scary to be putting everything back into live music with in-person shows but we made the decision and went with it.” It was also at that time that Side Door released its third version of the platform this past August, the redesigned and refined platform better connects hosts with artists to create incredible in-person concert experi- ences. Simpson adds, “We are on track to do better than we did at the end of 2019 empow- ering anyone to turn their space into a venue to create memorable live experiences.” “It felt really scary to be putting everything back into live music with in-per- son shows but we made the decision and went with it.”

We at Spotlight on Business are impressed with the Side Door brand because it doesn’t compete with traditional concert promoters and venue operators, it enhances it. Live shows have vigor- ously returned post-pandemic, but hundreds of music venues across Canada have closed. There are more artists than ever trying to compete for fewer spaces and the costs of touring have sky- rocketed. So, the need for a vibrant network tool that Side Door offers for artists at every level of their career to connect with their fans and tour in an alternative way has never been greater. It also gives music lovers the oppor- tunity to bring artists into their community in non-traditional venue spaces, creating a more vibrant cultural ecosystem. “We are on track to do better than we did at the end of 2019 empowering anyone to turn their space into a venue to create memorable live expe- riences.” When we spoke with Simpson in October, the Side Door platform had facilitated over 2000 live shows for more than 700 artists and bands, with these artists earning over $1.3 million in ticket revenue. More than 140,000 tickets have been purchased on the platform and over 2700 hosts offer spaces that can hold 20 or more people for artists to offer shows. Side Door’s co-founders recently appeared on CBC’s Dragons’ Den to pitch the Dragons on investing in their company and platform. The show’s seven-minute segment started with Simpson greeting the Dragons before the two-time JUNO Award winner, Mangan entered the den playing his guitar and signing for the potential investors. The two made a solid pitch, explaining the Canadian tech company’s platform and while most of the dragons were impressed with Simpson and Mangan’s inven- tiveness, it was Arlene Dickinson, who made the

pair an offer, which the two partners accepted. Getting praise and an offer from Dickinson validates the need for what the Side Door is doing and for their vision to keep it easy for small venue concert hosts to offer memora- ble experiences for music lovers and for the touring artists to connect with fans and build a following. Since appearing on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Side Door launched a redesigned and refined platform that better connects hosts with artists to create incredible in-person concert experiences. The core of the new Side Door platform is a powerful tool called “Show Calls” which allows artists and hosts to broadcast their availability to their fan bases and the Side Door community. This one-to-many approach works with demand and momentum to make the best matches and create the best shows. Artists find shows based on where and when they’ll be, and hosts can dictate when they are available and what they can offer. The unique smart contract technology allows for a simple ticketing and pay-out process. Side Door’s Show Call platform allows the artist and host to follow how many tickets are being sold. It offers a full guest list manager that can even comp tickets and provides all the things that a traditional ticketing company would do. Since the host and artist have already negoti- ated the revenue split, the money is actually held in escrow and then deposited in every- one’s accounts the day after the show. There is no need to do any invoicing, the artist doesn’t have to do an envelope at the end of the night. There’s none of that. All of Side Door’s settle- ments are documented and can be taken to your accountants, whether you are the host or the artist. Making the platform easy to use for artists, hosts and music lovers alike.

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FALL/WINTER 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • FALL/WINTER 2022

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