An article on Hypebot reports that the ‘house concert’ company Sofa Sounds has just secured $25 million in new funding to develop its business. That’s a big sum.

The company puts on intimate gigs in 430 cities, each show has up to three artists on the bill and tickets cost between $15-$35 dollars. The average gig would seem to gross $1110 to $1600 but each act is usually paid only $100 (though they get a nice video made of their performance). With that in mind and with reference to our recent 30 Minute Music Marketing show about ‘value’, is it worth playing this type of show?

Let’s maybe take a look at what a touring musicians would likely make on a show. A good door split could see a headline artist get 70% of show income after costs so in that respect, no it’s not a good deal. That said, with this show you can get some nice video footage from it, however the footage seems to be hosted on their YouTube channel so they get the play counts and the subs on that content. With shows worldwide you could get a gig with them in a far flung place where you wouldn’t normally get the opportunity so that’s not to be sniffed at plus I’ve seen people say that the audience at the Sofa Sounds shows tend to be very engaged.

With all that in mind, should you do these shows? I think it all boils down to this: Are you happy for someone to make more money from your music than yourself for the sake of an ‘opportunity’? If so that’s fine, go ahead, play away. What I would say, is that if you already have an engaged audience I’d explore the possibilities of setting up your own house concerts or promoting your own intimate shows where you keep all the cash from ticket sales. For me, that seems like a better option.

Got any questions about this post or how you can better market yourself?

Twitter: @60secondmm

Facebook: www.facebook.com/60secondmusicmarketing