As you may have read, Sofar Sounds just announced a $25M fund raise, led by Battery Ventures and Union Square Ventures with existing investors Octopus Ventures and Virgin Group also participating in the round. That's incredible for an organization that continually provides a great community and space to enjoy music together. I've been volunteering with Sofar Sounds for a year now (alongside my full-time job at a record label). You can say music has had quite the impact on my life alone. I've worked alongside both major and emerging artists and it seems there is a never ending battle for these musicians to get paid fairly for the creativity they provide.

I believe in the Sofar Community, but more importantly I believe the folks who keep the wheels turning, the artists themselves, need to be paid more than the $100 that is provided to them (and if it's a full band you can believe they are just making enough to compensate for their travel and a soda). With ticket sales between $15-30, we just can't continue (or afford) to perpetuate the idea that playing for exposure is enough. I'm hoping you can join me.

Some background on the company: 

Sofar Sounds, which was founded in London in 2009, is now active in 430 cities globally – including London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Seoul.

It has hosted over 20,000 shows over the past decade, including standout early performances from the likes of Billie Eilish, Bastille, Leon Bridges, Hozier and YEBBA.

Today, the company hosts over 600 shows worldwide each month, with 75 employees globally. It says its revenue – mainly via ticket sales – has tripled over the past 18 months.