‘PARLOUR GIGS’ EXPANDS FUTURE OF LIVE MUSIC WITH RELEASE OF ONLINE BOOKING PLATFORM
From May 19, Parlour Gigs will make hosting intimate live music even easier with the debut of their new online booking platform. This purpose-built web application allows hosts to create a new gig in minutes, complete with electronic ticketing and the choice of recommended local artists from curated lists based on location and genre specification.
Founded in early 2015 by Melbourne singer-songwriter Matt Walters, Parlour has created an opportunity for Australian music enthusiasts to host a show for friends and family in their own home. Originally created as a means of making live performance financially sustainable for emerging artists, Matt was also blown away by the beautiful, intimate shows uniquely realised by each host.
To date, Parlour has facilitated more than 150 performances all over Australia, having hosted shows for Harry James Angus (pic inset), Dan Kelly, Mia Dyson, Oh Mercy, Tinpan Orange, Lisa Mitchell and many more talented Australian artists. Now, one year down the track, the team aims to expand their reach by automating their booking, ticketing and artist selection process, giving more hosts and musicians the tools they need to share the magic of a Parlour performance.
Matt and co-founder Glenn Luck are extremely passionate about the platforms’ expansion. The duo explains, “We love the idea that your next favourite artist could be in your postcode. Also most hosts that sign up now want us to recommend great local talent to them…we know there is so much amazing music available to people locally – but there are so many barriers. The fact is, fans don’t always want to go out to clubs and see headliners come on at 11.30 PM. We want to connect music lovers with these great local artists in their area – and, of course, host them in their house and showcase them to their friends.”
True to their intention, the benefit to both emerging and established Australian artists has been huge. Since Parlour’s inception, impassioned local musicians wanting to contribute have inundated the pair. The new platform encourages artists of all walks to sign in directly, curating a profile similar to Bandcamp or Soundcloud before being recommended to potential hosts in their area.
Musicians in Australia make just $7200 on average per annum (http://artfacts.australiacouncil.gov.au/music/), but with the expansion of Parlour, Matt and Glenn hope to work towards a rise in this figure over the next few years. Parlour artists take 78% of ticket sales and are currently paid a minimum of $300 per show, and there is no maximum, with artists receiving an average fee of $550 for a 45-60 minute set. A recent show at a church in the small regional Victorian town of Birregurra saw a band leave with $2,500, and in future Parlour aspire to create more opportunities like this for musicians to make a fair wage.
Parlour is about paying artists properly to do what they love best, while connecting Australia’s music loving community with new and talented performers. Giving control of this ground-breaking event management platform to the community that gave it life is the next step towards an industry that musicians and music lovers can be proud of.
For more information and to check out the new online booking platform, head to www.parlourgigs.com