Sofar Sounds is known as a music events company, but once you hear their whole story, you’ll realize it’s not just a business — it’s a movement. Putting on the highest quality and most unique shows around Denver is a big part of what they do, but beyond that, Sofar Sounds serves artists, connects fans and grows the local music community in 400 cities around the world. Denver is just one of those lucky audiences, although our city does stand out, according to Sofar Sounds CEO, Jim Lucchese.
“What sets Denver apart from Boston and Philly, London and Tokyo, is the local creative community,” Lucchese said. “Those artists are the soul of the city, and that has worth in itself. And that is a core principle for us at Sofar.”
The company was founded in London in 2009 by three friends frustrated with audiences who weren’t listening to the music during live shows. Apparently, DIY living room shows were the solution. In this intimate environment, artists’ talent is on full display, and the attentiveness of the attendees is exponentially higher.
Performers and fans craved the deeper connection that the DIY scene offered and suddenly, Sofar was leading a movement that grew rapidly and organically. Sofar now hosts shows seven days a week, all around the world. Every show is a surprise in terms of location and performers, but you are always guaranteed diverse acts, intimate venues and unforgettable experiences. When guests purchase their ticket to a Sofar show, they are given the time, the neighborhood and a few details about the venue — but the address is not revealed until 36 hours before the show, and the performers are not revealed until their set begins.
I was lucky enough to attend two Sofar shows this month, and both were special in their own right. One weekend I was in a distillery warehouse sipping craft cocktails while listening to beautiful acoustic guitars and a powerhouse poet. The next, I was downtown at a BYOB show watching Julian Loida play vibraphone while humming calming melodies. The connection was obvious at each show: without the artists, Sofar would not exist; without Sofar, I might never have found those incredible local artists.
Both of these shows were an unforgettable way to spend my Friday nights, and I would highly recommend this experience for date night or a loosely structured adventure. Beyond the novelty of a secret show lies a company that cares about artists at its core, and not because of their following.
Sofar is providing performers something invaluable — a room full of people excited to listen, an intimate setting and a high-quality sound system run by their engineers. Artists are always paid for their performances, but the community and tools Sofar provides are why so many apply to become a Sofar artist. Joining the Sofar community promises to lift the burden of not only booking a show but also equips you with the necessary tools to continue connecting and growing with your fan base.
“At a Sofar show, you will play to an audience that is actually going to listen, Lucchese said. “[Pay is not based on] how many people you brought, who mentioned your name at the door or how many followers you have on social media. It’s all about just showing up and playing to a room of people that want to discover and connect with you.”
The COVID-19 pandemic was hard on all businesses, but especially the live events sector. The way Sofar Sounds treated their artists during this time reflects the core of their ethos. All of their artists lost part of their income and had shows canceled, but Sofar went out of their way to pay 3,000 artists for canceled shows and create an artist fund to provide grants for touring performers. The launch of Sofar’s Listening Room was another way the company showed support to performers who could no longer tour. Their live streams are donation based, with 100 percent of the donations going to the artists showcasing talent from around the world.
The pandemic also led Sofar to acquire Seated, an artist services platform. Seated allows artists to promote their shows and sell merch and VIP packages while still being in control of their own fan data. “If you can fill a room for an artist anywhere in the world, that’s an amazing place to start,” Lucchese said. “But I also wanted to build new services to help artists not only sell tickets to their other shows but to own their overall fan relationships.”
If you look through Sofar’s Youtube channel, you will see Billie Eilish performing in a backyard in LA and Yebba singing to a small crowd long before she worked with Drake. Many Sofar artists have gone on to achieve great success, but Lucchese does not measure Sofar’s performers in terms of their notoriety.
“I think it’s amazing that we have worked with so many artists, and a hundred or so have gone on to receive Grammy nominations, but the worth of artists is not viewed through the lens of commercial success. Sofar exists because of the inherent worth of local music and local music scenes.”
Yebba is a Sofar fan fav, and her show at Sofar NYC is one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen. Lucchese mentioned her as an artist who has gone on to do big things but still appreciates Sofar. She even attended a Sofar show in Brooklyn earlier this month as an audience member.
This ethos is reflected in Sofar’s application process, which is unconcerned with streaming numbers or what artists you’ve shared stages with. According to Lucchese, it’s strictly about talent. It’s that simple. Speaking on the application process, Lucchese said “Don’t tailor your art to what anyone else wants. Submit what you have and we will take it all seriously. I feel weird giving advice to artists. Just do your thing, we feel privileged just to work with you.”
The application requires a video of a performance, but Sofar won’t judge your production quality — the video can be filmed on your phone in your room. They also aren’t looking at following or social media accounts, it’s all based on if your performance is a good fit.
Sofar will work with some 30,000 artists in over 70 countries this year. When asked about the future of Sofar, Lucchese says the company plans to keep listening to their artists and continue developing new artists’ services whenever possible.
“Our show format is unique. It is a key reason why Sofar has grown to this level. But at our core, artists are our customers and the audiences that come to our shows want to connect to those artists on a deeper level, and through that, they connect with each other too.”
Find upcoming Sofar Denver shows here.
Check out some of their favorite Denver performances below
YaSi: First-generation Iranian-American soul singer from Denver. She’s played over 15 Sofar shows in Denver, LA and London.
Sturtz: Another fan fav—this acoustic quartet with amazing vocal harmonies is from Boulder and has played around 30 Sofar shows in Denver, Boulder and Chicago.
DZIRAE: Jazz-influenced sultry soul singer from Denver. She has played around 30 Sofar shows in Denver, Boulder and Chicago.
Shilo Gold: One reviewer said that “if Eva Cassidy and Nina Simone had a love child, it would be Shilo Gold.” Also from Denver, she’s played 65 SoFar shows in 12 cities including Denver, NYC, Philly, DC, LA and more.