Side Door raises US$3 million in seed funding to grow, boost visibility in the United States
Co-founded by Vancouver’s Dan Mangan, the performance platform offers a low-overhead touring model for artists
Some Assembly Theatre Company’s BREAKWATER is streaming via Side Door. Photo by Gaetan Nerincx.
WHEN SOME ASSEMBLY Theatre’s BREAKWATER plays on July 8 at 7 pm and July 11 at 3 pm PDT, it will stream via Side Door. The platform connects artists with audiences directly around the world virtually and in real life and has hosted performances by everyone from Vance Joy to You Say Party’s Stephen Carl O’Shea to Amanda Sum to Said the Whale.
Co-founded by Dan Mangan and Laura Simpson in 2017, Side Door just hit a major milestone, raising a US$3 million seed round to foster what it calls a “thriving global middle class of artistry”.
Through Side Door, artists can bypass traditional entertainment-industry gatekeepers, browse spaces, and connect directly with people (“hosts”) to book performances. Likewise, individuals can reach out directly to artists and curate shows for their community. The platform even brokers royalty remittance to performing rights organizations for concerts and events so users aren’t liable for licensing issues.
Vancouver-based Rhino Ventures, which leads early-stage financing for high-growth technology startups in Western Canada, spearheaded the effort with support from Upside Partnership. Also involved were other ground-breaking platforms such as Shopify and Airbnb.
“This investment positions us to completely transform the world of live performance,” Simpson said in a statement. “The tools we use to achieve our vision have adjusted over time, but our mandate remains the same: to serve underserved creators and foster a thriving global middle class of artistry.”
Before COVID-19, the platform catered solely to in-person performances taking place in non-traditional performance venues like backyards, bookstores, warehouses, and living rooms. In the face of the pandemic, it pivoted to interactive online shows—very successfully.
By the end of 2020, Side Door had experienced a 12-fold increase in ticket sales and a 150 percent increase in artist sign-ups. With more than 50,000 users, it’s now offering a mix of online (“Interactive” or “Broadcast”) and in-person shows.
“Side Door is arming the middle class of artists by removing the traditional barriers between them and their fans,” Jay Rhind, partner at RhinoVentures, said in a statement. “We believe entrepreneur enablement is the future and Side Door provides artists with the agency to determine their own success and, importantly, fans the opportunity to contribute to and participate in that success; completing a virtuous cycle that will grow the Artist economy. Laura and Dan’s unique backgrounds and experience make them the perfect founders to build Side Door into a world-class platform and we are incredibly excited to partner with them.”
The funds will be used to launch a widespread marketing campaign to increase Side Door’s user base and visibility in the United States, which saw the loss of many small and medium-sized venues throughout the pandemic.
“Through 2020, our team tripled and the platform launched ahead leaps and bounds,” Mangan said. “Time and time again, we have learned that, as a tech platform, we win by focusing on fostering meaningful connection and community through the shared experience of art.”
More info is at https://sidedooraccess.com/home.
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