Dearest artists, hosts, audience members and supporters,

On December 31st, we are winding down Side Door operations.

We have created an active, innovative and efficient way for artists to find places to play - an international playground fostering the shared experience of art in unique spaces. For nearly a decade, we’ve learned, listened and iterated with the artist at the centre of everything we do. Art is needed more than ever and creating a supportive ecosystem where artists thrive is essential.

Since 2017, we’ve facilitated more than 3300 shows and paid out nearly $2M to artists. In 2025, we’ve booked more shows, sold more tickets and earned more for artists than ever before. Our shows, programs and partnerships have supported thousands of artists and created hundreds of new places to play all over North America and beyond. We think it’s fair to say that we have played a meaningful role in daylighting the alternative show economy and normalizing this segment of the music industry.

So why are we shutting down?

Honestly, it’s extremely difficult to be a community platform and a ticketing service. Ticketing can generate revenue, but it’s a crowded, complex space. Our free “Connect” dashboard was designed to encourage booking activity—not profit. We took big swings and raised money to get Side Door off the ground, but startups require either explosive revenue or explosive growth to survive - of which we have enjoyed neither. In short, we don’t have the volume to survive.

We still believe that an ecosystem of alternative venue spaces is the future of live entertainment for the majority of artists. It’s possible that we were too early to the game, or that the pandemic diverted us too far off track. We would be thrilled to see this ball carried into the end zone, and perhaps there’s someone out there who wants to build on what we’ve created.

Though it’s tempting to feel sad at this moment, there is much to celebrate. We have been buoyed constantly by the artists and hosts we’ve come to know through Side Door. There is a host family in Toronto that is now hosting monthly tiny house shows and regularly sending us notes about how it has changed their lives. There are artists doing full tours on Side Door who feel like it gave them back the control they were missing from their careers. And every single day, we receive reviews from audience members who tell us how they’ve been moved and inspired by the performances we support.

We had the goal to democratize live music and make it truly accessible. In that mission, we believe we succeeded. We also have made so many connections happen - between artists and audiences, hosts and artists and our team with all of you.

In terms of timeline, we’ve already disabled bookings on the platform for after December 31st, 2025.

ALL SHOWS BOOKED AND EXECUTED BEFORE DECEMBER 31st WILL BE FULLY SERVED, PROMOTED AND PAID OUT.

Ticket revenue is protected in an escrow account and we’re staying in operation long enough to bring things to a soft landing. It’s important to us that we don’t cause any unnecessary stress or pain to our users. As has been our intention at every step of this journey, we want to do this the right way. Through the end of the year, there will be no changes in the user experience on the platform.

Thank you for your belief in us. You understood what we envisioned. We absolutely could not have done this without your support.

With our deepest gratitude (and a few tears),

❤️ Laura & Dan

P.S. Now go see a show!

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