Halifax’s Side Door Grows US Market After Attending SXSW
HALIFAX-“If your footprint cannot be wide, let it be deep.”
That’s the motto Juno-winning artist Dan Mangan uses for operating Side Door–the Halifax-based business he started with Laura Simpson in 2017.
Side Door is a platform that pairs musicians and artists with venues. Mangan and Simpson believe anything and everything can be a performance venue, from a living room to a backyard, a café, or even a park or field.
And as Mangan’s motto suggests, a small show with only a handful of people can have a huge impact.
“There are people who saw me play in a house with 35 people in 2007 who are now coming to their 19th Dan Mangan show at the Winspear in Edmonton,” he said. “There is no career without those people.”
“If you can’t sell a thousand tickets, have the most memorable evening with 40 people and those 40 people will be invested in you.”
More than 5,000 artists and 2,000 venues use Side Door across the continent. But now, the company is focusing on growing its client base in America.
The number of US Side Door users has already grown over the years. Before the pandemic, clients south of the border made up only 15 percent of users. Now that restrictions have been lifted almost everywhere, that number is about 40 percent.
But Side Door is running with momentum, after the company was showcased in South By Southwest, one of the biggest festivals in the world, which is held in Austin, Texas.
Side Door sent five artists: Abstract Rude, Gully Boys, JUNACO, S.C.A.B, and Status/Non-Status, to SXSW and turned the road trip into a mini-tour. Along the road to Austin, the artists played in front of crowds ranging from dozens to hundreds.
When everyone arrived in Austin, Mangan was warmed by the welcome.
“We had these giant posters all over Austin and everywhere we go, when we talked about Side Door, they were like ‘we’ve seen your poster.’ It was really great,” Mangan recalled.
“To get down there and to all high-five in person and have the whole Side Door team down there, and just receiving the most incredible responses, [was incredible].”
Side Door and Mangan got to host a panel discussion at SXSW. Fittingly, it revolved around alternative venue spaces. Over the course of the pandemic, many clubs and places with stages have closed, so being creative with where one plays has never been more important.
During the worst of the pandemic, Side Door grew its clientele by hosting virtual events. But now artists and concertgoers are eager to gather again.
“Now that we’re in these dog days of the pandemic we are in heavy transition mode back to focusing on the in-person marketplace and improving that experience,” Mangan said.
If Mangan and Simpson’s vision becomes true, we will soon see a lot of Side Door shows in both Canada and south of the border.
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].