Halifax-based company Side Door didn’t invent the concept of the house concert, but its online platform for connecting artists with music-loving hosts and adventurous listeners has helped to expand it.

And now Side Door is expanding with the help of US$3 million in new equity funding that will help the company further its goal to promote an alternative live music marketplace that works in artists’ favour while providing participants with a unique and rewarding experience.

As one of the company’s promotional banners proclaims, “Live art. Anywhere. For all.” is an attractive prospect for those in search of new and interactive ways to hear music. And its universal application was a draw for the investors brought on board by Vancouver-based Rhino Ventures and California’s Upside Partnership, who want to see Side Door succeed at increasing its network throughout the United States as well as Canada.

“We spent a lot of time trying to gain traction there,” says Laura Simpson, who co-founded the company with Vancouver musician Dan Mangan. “Last year with the pandemic, we had to cancel all of our shows, so now we’re regaining that steam we were working on last year.”