GigPig boosts artists’ earnings by £1.5m since launch'

Live music marketplace GigPig has boosted artists’ earnings by £1.5m and saved venues around £300,000 since launching in June 2022, underpinning its pledge to support the growth of the music and hospitality industries.

The platform, which gives artists free access to find, play and get paid for gigs in venues of all sizes across the UK, now represents more than 3,500 live music performers. GigPig also works with more than 600 venues.

Since its pilot launch in June 2022, GigPig has been the catalyst for staging more than 6,000 live music gigs in pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs. In that time, artists have collectively earned £1.5m on the GigPig platform, with an average fee of £240 per gig.

GigPig has also facilitated a collective £300,000 saving in third party booking fees for venues in the same timeframe, a welcome reduction in costs at a time when the hospitality sector is battling with rising energy and supplier costs. Forecasts show that the platform is expected to contribute £12m in economic value for venues and artists in 2023 alone.

The Music in Hospitality Survey 2022 revealed that 78% of consumers are more likely to visit a pub, bar or similar venues if it offers live music.

Al Bear Bar and Kitchen in Whitley Bay has seen an increase in turnover since using the GigPig platform. Ewan Taws, General Manager of Al Bear, said: “The addition of DJs at our venue, coupled with no agent fees, means that we’ve seen a really strong uplift in footfall. Customers are visiting more regularly and for longer periods of time, which means we have had a more stable period as a business. We can’t wait to see what comes next from GigPig, whose work and innovative thinking is a huge support to the hospitality sector.”

In October, Manchester-headquartered GigPig expanded to ten cities across the UK. The business has since signed up hundreds of independent venues, as well as national chains including Albert Schloss, TGI Fridays, Big Fang Collective, Adventure Bar Group, East Coast Concepts and Stack. It was established to grow and democratise the UK’s live music scene, using its innovative digital platform to empower venues and artists to book and play gigs without excessive third party fees.

Michael Forster, CEO of GigPig, said: “We’ve had a promising and buoyant first nine months, which demonstrates the demand and need to do things differently in the music industry. At GigPig, we’re focused on supporting the growth and stability of the music and hospitality industries by putting power directly in the hands of artists and venues.

“Live music plays an important role in stimulating the UK economy, making our towns and cities more culturally rich places to visit. GigPig is a powerful tool that puts live music a few clicks away from every high street across the UK.

“By removing barriers to live music, GigPig is providing venues with a cost effective way to increase revenue and artists with a reliable way to earn a better living from gigging than they do with the traditional way of booking. It’s brilliant to see the tangible value we’re adding already and we’re ambitious to do all we can to make sure music and hospitality venues thrive.”

DJ Fry Ups, a video DJ and music producer based in Manchester, has been booking gigs via GigPig for six months. He said: “GigPig introduced me to a large network of venues which enabled me to do what I love while making a living from it. Through Gigpig I landed a residency at my favourite Manchester venue, Box, in Deansgate.”

GigPig is now working with Manchester-based app developer Apadmi to build an app version of its booking and artist management platform. The business was founded by music industry stalwarts Michael Forster and Andrew Garner, hospitality sector specialist Kit Muir-Rogers and platform development expert Ed Francis. The bespoke booking platform was built by experts with years of experience in the music, hospitality and tech industries. This adaptation of technology and the integration of social media has enabled the business to become a major live music marketplace.