-Life as a CEO | Founder of a Tech Startup-
Live musical performance when done well can be, oh so gripping. The mixing of spirit, energy and connection makes for almost palpable experiences.
Perhaps it has to do with it being so pure and earnest from the standpoint of emotional and artistical expression and accompanied release.
For all intents and purposes, the taking in of these visceral and melodious happenings could easily be considered as part of the human condition.
History would back you up on most of this. Research indicates live performances may have started over 100,000 years ago during pre-historic times.
Fast forwarding a bit, in ancient Greece and Rome, live musical entertainment really took off with it firmly entrenching itself into important aspects of culture.
Since then, the heartbeat of live music has more or less been rhythmically pumping continuously.
On today’s show, we have a guest who has built a successful professional career and business based around this notion of promoting live musical artistry and expression.
Her insights on modern day musical performance will be of interest to anyone wanting to know where it may all be headed.
Introducing
Laura Simpson is the CEO and co-founder (along with artist, Dan Mangan) of Side Door, a Canadian tech startup founded in 2017.
Side Door’s mission to create shows anytime, anywhere – first with in-person shows and now online. The platform marketplace is built to connect artists with curators, venues, service providers and audiences to make booking, ticketing and payments easy, fair and transparent.
Side Door provides robust tools and support, without any up-front costs to the artist.
Background & Accomplishment
Laura herself has spent much of her life serving the needs of artists and promoting live performance. Since 2007, she has worked with various music organizations and festivals, including Music Nova Scotia, Halifax Jazz Festival, East Coast Music Awards, CAPACOA and the Halifax Pop Explosion. She has hosted house concerts at The Syrup Factory since 2011.
In 2015 she went to Los Angeles for four months to mentor with the former president of Warner Bros Records. Upon returning, she evolved The Syrup Factory into an artist services company.
She believes experiencing amazing live art in intimate community settings leads to stronger human connection, greater empathy and improved mental health.
Reasons to Listen
The conversation meanders in and around a number of insightful topics which help shed light on life running a tech startup:
- Challenges and opportunities of operating in two different worlds (musical artistry | corporate)
- Early beginnings and influences which shaped her entrepreneurial path
- How her co-founder Dan Mangan‘s involvement came to be
- A memorable and invaluable four month mentorship experience in LA
- The value in having a supportive family in pursuing this life
- Useful character traits someone or at the very least teams should have in the music tech startup world
- Stories on how Laura and her company managed the pandemic
- A touching story bringing together business, music and personal sentiments
- conjecture on the future of music as it pertains to its relationship with technology
This talk covers a lot of ground and is certainly one that anyone with business aspirations will value for its breadth and insight.
Music lovers may also enjoy learning about a business that could allow them to take their auditory passions to new heights by way of learning how they too, can host and create memorable performances of their own by finding and booking artists.
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
On the value of fully taking in a live performance, “Are you connecting with what’s happening in this song? Are you understanding your interpretation of it? How does that move you? How does that change your experience the next time you speak with somebody? That to me is the human capacity building of art.”
-Laura Simpson
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view the full video conversation of this discussion, you can do so via Youtube.
Words of Wisdom:
Hear from Laura as she gives advice to those looking to enter the music industry.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Laura and her work, you can find out more about her via her company and through the following social platforms:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
