In just a few short months, Australia’s only “Airbnb for live music venues” aka Parlour, has become increasingly popular for both musicians and punters seeking a different, intimate experience.
Created by Melbourne based singer-songwriter Matt Walters as a means of providing music fans with an exciting and personal performance in private homes and backyards, more and more up-and-coming musos are turning to Parlour, as ABC reports.
Jill Farrar of band Hana Maru notes that playing shows via the Parlour platform as opposed to venues around Melbourne has been far more financially beneficial for her.
“We played a Workers Club gig recently and all the money we made off the door went to the sound engineer, we didn’t make a single cent,” she said, “we did enjoy the gig, but it’s also important to make money eventually.”
Farrar went on to describe the wholly different nature of performing that Parlour offers, “It’s a little bit more intimidating than I thought, when you play in a pub people don’t necessarily know or care what’s going on, so you can sort of relax.
“But [in a lounge room] everyone’s intently listening to what you’re doing and you don’t have bright lights shining on you either, so you can see everybody which is another terrifying aspect of playing.”
Parlour’s creator, Matt Walters, told the ABC that nearly 800 musicians have signed up to the Parlour system already, with feedback from guests looking positive for the music Airbnb’s growth, “The more I talk to guests, I get the feeling people are tired of going to venues, bands are out there going ‘please come to my show, please come to my show’ and people almost roll their eyes now.”
It’s interesting to see local musos opting for Parlour gigs instead of live music venues, and with Walter’s hopes of expanding Parlour throughout Australia – we could certainly see a shift in how both punters and musicians explore their live music experience.
For those of you that aren’t up to speed, Parlour functions very much like the mammoth accommodation website, Airbnb, and is just as easy to use. For any party interested in playing or hosting a gig, you simply visit the site and follow the very basic prompts that ask for your basic details and await response from the website, which hooks artists up with a venue that could be anything from a backyard to a bandroom.
We are bringing music home.Find out more: www.parlourgigs.com
Posted by Parlour on Sunday, June 14, 2015
