Sofar Sounds

Sofar Sounds (Songs from a Room) is a company that organizes music events^[2] Founded in 2009, the company has its headquarters in Boston and London.^[3]

Sofar Sounds

Industry	Music
Founded	2009; 16 years ago (2009)
Founder	Rocky Start, Rafe Offer, Dave Alexander
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide, over 350 cities[1]
Key people	Warren Webster (CEO) Rafe Offer (Executive Chairman)
Website	https://www.sofarsounds.com

History

Sofar Sound was founded in London in March 2009 by Rafe Offer, Rocky Start, and Dave Alexander. The concept originated when Rafe Offer invited eight friends to Alexander's flat in North London to watch him perform.^[4] The second event, and first to be ticketed, also took place in London. The company expanded to major cities such as Paris, New York City, and Los Angeles in early 2011.^[5][6][7]

Jim Lucchese became the CEO of Sofar Sounds in February 2019.^[8]

In May 2019, the company raised $25 million from Battery Ventures and Union Square Ventures, adding to the $6 million previously raised from Octopus Ventures and Virgin Group.^[9][10] As of November 2019, the company had hosted over 22,000 performances.^[6]

In 2019, Sofar Sounds announced the creation of Sofar Crew, comprising part-time employees hired to work alongside Sofar Ambassadors.^[8]

The company was investigated in 2019 by the New York Department of Labor regarding its use of unpaid labor.^[11] This investigation concluded in a settlement in which the company agreed to stop using volunteer workers within their business model.^[12]

In August 2019, Sofar Sounds relocated its headquarters to Roundhouse, a creative hub in London that also includes the Bucks Music Group.^[13]

In March 2020, Sofar suspended all shows due to the international coronavirus pandemic. The company reportedly compensated all artists for cancelled performances, worked to reschedule them, and created a Global Artist Fund with a goal of $250,000 for live music relief.^[14] At the end of March 2020, the company launched a daily livestream to support independent artists during the pandemic, allowing viewers to donate directly to artists or to the Global Artist Fund.^[15] The causes supported by proceeds of this activity expanded in 2022 to encompass the Russo-Ukrainian war.^{[citation needed]}

Events

Typically, three artists perform at each Sofar gig without a dedicated opener or headliner,^[16] providing a similar opportunity for all featured artists.^[17] Musicians of any genre can apply to perform via a form on the website.^[18][16][19] As of February 2020, an Artist Dashboard allowed artists to request to play shows in specific cities and on certain dates or within a date range.^[12]

Attendance is managed via an email ballot guest list.^[20] The line-up for a concert is not revealed until the event begins, and the location is announced 24 hours prior to the show.^[21] Events normally operate under a BYOB policy, and attendees are asked to arrive on time, stay until the end, and listen quietly without phones or other distractions.^[22][12]

Artists' performances are often filmed, with edited videos uploaded to their Sofar Sounds YouTube channel^[23] and shared on the website.

Operating model

Sofar cities are classified as either full-time cities or ambassador locations. The majority are run by ambassadors who typically organize one or two shows per month.^[16][24][25]

Sofar operates in approximately 444 cities worldwide.^[26] In about 90% of these locations, shows are free, with a "pass-the-hat" system used to collect donations to pay artists and cover expenses.^[27] In the remaining 10% of cities, tickets are sold online. As of February 2020, there were three payment levels in the ticketed Sofar cities, and artists were paid based on ticket sales.^[26] In major cities with Sofar shows, the reported profit split averages 63% for artists and 37% for the company.^[28]

As of 24 January 2017^[update], non-discounted tickets ranged from $10–$30 per person in the US,^[4][29] £10-18 in the UK, €13 in Madrid, and $12–18 (CAD) in Vancouver and Toronto.^[30]

Notable partnerships and performers

Bastille performing at the Sofar Sounds x War Child charity event in London.

In June 2015, Sofar Sounds partnered with Uber to host a series of secret gigs in London.^[31]

In July 2016, it was announced that Virgin Group's Sir Richard Branson would invest in Sofar Sounds.^[32]

In March 2017, a partnership was announced with Airbnb for their new Music Experiences format,^[33] enabling Airbnb customers in San Francisco to reserve seats at a Sofar event via the Trips platform.^[34]

UK and Irish acts who have performed at Sofar shows include James Bay, Hozier, Emeli Sandé, Will Young,^[35] Tom Odell,^[36] actor Robert Pattinson,^[37] Wolf Alice, Bastille, and Lianne La Havas. Bastille also participated in a special live-streamed Sofar Sounds #Voting show^[38] held in London in June 2016 to encourage voting in the EU referendum.^[39] Other London performers include Lucy Rose, The Staves and Kae Tempest. In 2013, Robert Pattinson performed at an event.^[20]

US performers who have appeared in Sofar concerts include Giselle Bellas, Leon Bridges, Fantastic Negrito, Saba,^[40] Yeasayer,^[41] and Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O,^[42] while acts such as Núria Graham and Ali Somay have played Sofar Barcelona^[43] and Sofar Istanbul, respectively.^[44]

The local Sofar Sounds branch in Los Angeles teamed up with the charity Movember for a Giving Tuesday event,^[45] while the New York City branch previously organized a gig in aid of Planned Parenthood.^[46]

On 20 June 2017, World Refugee Day, Sofar Sounds announced a global event series called 'Give a Home', in partnership with Amnesty International. 'Give a Home' took place on 20 September 2017, featuring thousands of performances in over 300 cities and 60 countries, in aid of refugees.^[47] Confirmed artists included Ed Sheeran, Moby, Mashrou' Leila, among others.^[48]

At the 2017 Grammy Awards, several nominees, including Leon Bridges, Fantastic Negrito and Saba, had previously played Sofar locations.^[49]