Live music marketplace, GigPig, has completed a £1.3m seed investment round, led by Haatch Ventures and Notion Capital.
The Manchester-based company stated that the cash would create “thousands more gigging opportunities for venues and artists in the hospitality sector.”
GigPig is also planning to launch new data-led products and services, to provide market insights for venues, so that operators can better understand the impact of live music on sales and customer satisfaction.
There will also be a new app for artists to find gigs and get booked for them.
“With the hospitality sector facing unprecedented challenges, we believe our mission to help every pub and bar maximise their potential with live music is more important than ever,” said Michael Forster, CEO of GigPig.
“Our platform has already helped hundreds of venues improve customer satisfaction, drive footfall and increase sales while giving thousands of artists an easier way to earn money gigging. We’re just getting started and the investment announced today will help bring the benefits of live music to more communities in towns and cities across the UK.”
Investors in the seed round include Chris Tottman of Notion Capital and Mark Bennett of Haatch, plus angel investors and music industry experts Chris Meehan, Richard Flint, Wolfgang Alistat and Andrea Mihalovits are among a syndicate of individuals backing the firm.
“We are invested in their vision to build an entirely new category that gives hospitality venues access to thousands of artists, with the ability to discover and book local talent at their fingertips,” stated Chris Tottman, Partner, Notion Capital.
“Not only does this give every pub or bar the opportunity to become a stage, but importantly it means artists will get more gigs, with faster and more reliable payments. In many ways I believe GigPig is fuelling a cultural movement, where for the first time in history venues and artists can connect at scale on a single digital platform. With millions of potential customers globally as the network scales, this was an incredibly compelling investment opportunity to fuel the next period of growth in the UK and internationally.”
Mark Bennett, Partner, Haatch, added:
“GigPig is one of the most exciting start-ups in the UK right now, having developed a platform that connects venues and artists at unparalleled scale. While gigging in pubs and bars has long been the bedrock of the UK music scene, GigPig’s technology and industry expertise is set to drive explosive growth of live music in the hospitality sector. This will not only help give thousands of venues a proven way to increase sales, but importantly provide artists with a platform to launch their careers and earn money doing what they love most. Haatch is proud to support their mission as GigPig turns up the volume across the country.”
Launched in 2022, GigPig currently operates in more than 22 cities across the country, with more than 600 venues signing up to book more than 31k gigs.
