Center for New Music

What Center for New Music does

Center for New Music (C4NM), legally Center for New Music San Francisco, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community center founded in 2012 by composer-performers Adam Fong and Brent Miller, with Miller continuing as Executive Director. It operates a single 4,400 square foot ground-floor venue at 55 Taylor Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, providing performance, rehearsal, and co-working space for practitioners of contemporary and experimental music, including composers, performers, producers, curators, scholars, and listeners. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors that appoints curators on two-year terms and is supported by a small staff of an Executive Director, Project Manager, Community Coordinator, and Webmaster.

C4NM's service portfolio spans curated concert series (where 100% of ticket revenue goes to artists), a year-long Ensemble-in-Residence program with a $1,000 award plus 200 hours of rehearsal space, fiscal sponsorship for emerging music projects, workshops, a resource library, daytime co-working memberships, event and rehearsal space rentals, and a branded merchandise line sold via Bonfire. Programming is delivered through appointed curators, an Ensemble-in-Residence program, and a Tracking Series addressing equity themes such as gender and queer/trans representation in new music.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of low-friction streams: ticket sales (general $15, member/student $7-$10, premium $20), venue and rehearsal rentals, annual membership dues, donations and grants (as a 501(c)(3)), fiscal sponsorship fees, and merchandise. C4NM also administers crisis-response funds, exemplified by a 2020 COVID-19 emergency fund that distributed 40 awards of $250 to Bay Area musicians. No technology platform or AI capability is part of the offering; the organization's value proposition rests on physical space, curatorial programming, and community infrastructure rather than software or data products.

Name

Center for New Music

Legal name

Center for New Music San Francisco, Inc.

Website

https://centerfornewmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for New Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community center in San Francisco operating a 4,400 sq ft venue that provides performance, rehearsal, and co-working space along with curated concerts, an ensemble residency, fiscal sponsorship, and workshops for Bay Area practitioners of contemporary and experimental music.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing arts community center

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Contemporary music programs
• Performing arts venue
• Composer residency programs
• Music community center
• Fiscal sponsorship services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from concert and event ticket sales. Ticket prices range from $7-20 depending on event and membership status. 100% of ticket revenue goes directly to performing artists.
2. Event Rentals: The center offers its 4,400 square foot space for event rentals, including rehearsal space. The venue accommodates ensembles from solo to quintet and up to 100 audience members.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership program providing access to co-working space, rehearsal time, and other member benefits.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including hoodies ($37.99), mugs ($15.99), tank tops ($24.99), totes ($20.99), and masks ($9.99). Powered by Bonfire.
5. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, C4NM accepts tax-deductible donations and applies for grants. Emergency funds are raised for specific causes like COVID-19 musician relief.
6. Fiscal Sponsorship: C4NM provides fiscal sponsorship services to other music projects, providing them with nonprofit status and administrative support in exchange for a fee or percentage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Center for New Music (C4NM) is a nonprofit community center in San Francisco that provides physical space, programming, and resources for practitioners of contemporary and experimental music. It operates a 4,400 square foot venue offering performance space, co-working facilities, a 12-month Ensemble-in-Residence program, curated concert series, workshops, fiscal sponsorship services, and an annual membership program serving composers, performers, and listeners of new music.

Product overview

Center for New Music (C4NM) is a nonprofit community center in San Francisco that serves practitioners of creative, non-commercial music. Rather than a unified tech product, C4NM offers a portfolio of in-person services and programs: event venue rental at its 55 Taylor Street facility, daytime co-working space, an Ensemble in Residence program, curated concert series managed by appointed curators, workshops, fiscal sponsorship, membership, and a resource library. The organization also operates a merchandise shop selling branded items through Bonfire, and has launched emergency fund programs to support musicians during crises. The venue hosts performances ranging from solo to quintet ensembles with up to 100 audience members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Venue Rental Rental of the Center's 4,400 square foot facility at 55 Taylor Street in San Francisco, including a main gallery space that accommodates performing ensembles from solo to quintet and up to 100 audience members.
• Co-Working Space
• Ensemble in Residence Program A 12-month residency program providing selected ensembles with a $1,000 award, 200 hours of rehearsal space, 30 hours of consulting time, composer readings, and performance opportunities at C4NM.
• Curated Concert Series Concerts curated by C4NM's appointed curators, featuring contemporary and experimental music performances. 100% of ticket revenue goes to performing artists.
• Workshops Educational workshops and professional development opportunities for composers and performers in the new music community.
• Fiscal Sponsorship Nonprofit sponsorship services enabling individual artists and small groups to receive tax-deductible donations and access grant funding under C4NM's 501(c)(3) status.
• Membership Annual membership program providing access to C4NM resources, discounted event tickets, co-working and rehearsal access, and other member benefits.
• C4NM Merchandise (Shop) Branded merchandise including hoodies ($37.99), mugs ($15.99), tank tops ($24.99), face masks ($9.99), and tote bags ($20.99), sold through Bonfire.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 awards of $250 provided to Bay Area musicians during COVID-19 crisis
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rova:ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012C4NM was fiscally sponsored by Rova:Arts while pursuing nonprofit status. Rova:Arts runs the organization supporting the Rova Saxophone Quartet. C4NM co-founder Brent Miller previously served as administrator for Rova:Arts.
• Intermusic SFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to survey 425 musicians on COVID-19 impact, documenting $1.5 million in lost income and 5,000 canceled concerts.
• Jazz in the NeighborhoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in COVID-19 impact survey collaboration documenting financial losses among Bay Area musicians.
• Bird and Beckett Books and RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in COVID-19 impact survey documenting financial losses among Bay Area musicians.
• Lisa MezzacappaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with C4NM and other organizations on the musician impact survey.
• Transgender Cultural DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented the Queer and Trans Voices Tracking Series panel discussion as part of C4NM's Tracking Series programming.
• Hello WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Hello World, an international project where artists submit artworks for global broadcast, to present the 'Gathering' performance by Linda Bouchard.
• Other MindscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC4NM curator Blaine Todd is Associate Director at Other Minds, a 25-year-old Bay Area institution dedicated to contemporary music. Other Minds' Latitudes series is curated at C4NM. Co-founder Brent Miller serves on Other Minds' board.
• KQEDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublished article 'Isolation and Lost Income Rattle Struggling Experimental Musicians' based on C4NM survey data.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Other Minds: Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to contemporary/new music for 25+ years. Other Minds' Latitudes series is curated at C4NM and co-founder Brent Miller serves on its board — they function as direct organizational partners with overlapping artist community and programming focus on experimental composition.
• Roulette Intermedium: Brooklyn-based nonprofit presenting organization for experimental/new music with a small performance venue (~400 capacity). Comparable to C4NM in mission (advancing new music), nonprofit governance, and curated concert series model, though at a larger scale and serving a different metro.
• Issue Project Room: Brooklyn nonprofit arts organization commissioning and presenting experimental music, sound art, and performance. Highly comparable to C4NM as a small-footprint new-music venue hosting curated programs by visiting curators, with similar fiscal-sponsorship-style community support functions.
• The Stone: NYC experimental-music venue originally founded by John Zorn, presenting curated new-music programming in a small, dedicated space. Closely mirrors C4NM's model of supporting resident and guest curators presenting experimental work at modest ticket prices, with low-overhead nonprofit ethos.
• The Kitchen: NYC nonprofit presenting experimental art, music, and performance in a Chelsea-based venue. Like C4NM, it provides space for emerging composers/performers with artist-residency-style programs and curated series; serves as a comparable presenting org with longer history and broader programming.

Emerging players

• sfSound: San Francisco-based new-music collective and presenting organization specializing in experimental composition and sound art. Operates in the same Bay Area community and overlapping artist pool as C4NM but with smaller/no permanent venue footprint, making it more an ecosystem partner than venue competitor.

Broad incumbents

• REDCAT: CalArts-founded presenting venue at the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in LA, focused on contemporary performing arts. Comparable in programming focus (experimental music, dance, theater) and nonprofit presenting model, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader artform scope than C4NM's narrow new-music focus.
• Cal Performances: UC Berkeley's professional presenting organization hosting performing arts including contemporary music. Regional Bay Area presenting entity with similar nonprofit model but operates at much larger scale (multiple venues, broader artform mix, university backing) than C4NM's independent small-venue model.

Regional players

• SFJAZZ: San Francisco-based nonprofit presenting organization for jazz and adjacent contemporary music, with its own dedicated venue. Operates in the same Bay Area market as C4NM with comparable nonprofit presenting model, but focuses on jazz rather than experimental/contemporary classical.
• Headlands Center for the Arts: Marin County-based nonprofit artist residency program. Operates in the same Bay Area arts ecosystem as C4NM with comparable nonprofit support services (residency, fiscal sponsorship, community programs), but focuses on multi-disciplinary residency rather than music-only venue presenting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-new-music
• Xx.com/c4newmusic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for New Music