The Independent

What The Independent does

The Independent is a 500-capacity live music venue located at 628 Divisadero Street in San Francisco's NOPA district, in continuous operation since 2004. The venue hosts nightly events spanning hip-hop, EDM, indie rock, comedy, and podcast recordings, serving both consumer ticket buyers and touring artists who book the room for intimate performances. Operationally it is run by parent company Another Planet Entertainment, LLC (a California LLC), with bookings submitted via email and shows ticketed exclusively through TicketWeb.

The venue's core offering is the in-person concert experience: a 500-capacity room with what the venue characterizes as robust sound and lights, ADA-compliant accessibility, and a cashless environment. Beyond ticketed entry, the venue monetizes through a full bar service, a $3-per-item coat check, and a dedicated Shopify storefront selling official and artist merchandise. VIP packages layered on select shows — meet and greets, early entry, exclusive merchandise — provide an upsell segment. Distribution is multi-channel (TicketWeb online, TicketWeb phone order line at 1-866-468-3399, and a walk-up box office), and the venue maintains marketing presence across email newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Independent relies on a partnership stack for both demand generation and ancillary services: TicketWeb as channel partner, Lyft as the official rideshare partner for patron transport, Bud Light and Fort Point Beer as beverage partners (alongside APE Beverages from the parent company). The venue does not serve food and instead directs patrons to neighborhood restaurants. The principal customer base is B2C concert-goers across multiple genres, with a secondary use-case segment of emerging and established touring artists who view the room as a launch-pad venue — a positioning evidenced by its track record of hosting acts such as LCD Soundsystem, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, Green Day, and The National.

Name

The Independent

Legal name

Another Planet Entertainment, LLC

Website

https://theindependentsf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Independent is a 500-capacity live music venue in San Francisco's NOPA district, operating since 2004 under parent company Another Planet Entertainment. It serves concert-goers and touring artists across multiple genres via TicketWeb ticketing, full bar service, merchandise, and VIP experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB), VIP, Hospitality & Premium Experiences (Packages, Clubs, Suites) (MPAIAFAK)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Concert ticketing
• Live entertainment
• Music events
• Venue hospitality

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: Primary revenue stream through advance and door ticket sales via TicketWeb online platform and walk-up box office sales.
2. Food and Beverage: Full bar service offering cocktails, beer, wine, and other beverages. The venue is cashless and accepts all major credit cards.
3. Coat Check: Coat check service at $3 per item with additional fees for certain items like small animals.
4. Merchandise: Merchandise store available through dedicated Shopify storefront.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Independent operates a 500-capacity intimate live music venue at 628 Divisadero Street in San Francisco's NOPA district, hosting nightly concerts, comedy shows, podcasts, and private events. The venue sells tickets primarily through TicketWeb, offers full bar service, merchandise through a Shopify storefront, coat check, and VIP experience packages. It is operated by Another Planet Entertainment and has been a foundation of the San Francisco live music scene since 2004.

Product overview

The Independent is a single-location, 500-capacity live music venue in San Francisco's NOPA district operated by Another Planet Entertainment. The venue's core offering is live music events spanning genres from hip-hop to EDM, comedy to podcasts. Revenue streams include ticket sales (via TicketWeb), bar services, merchandise, and coat check. The venue does not serve food but directs patrons to nearby neighborhood restaurants. The venue is cashless, wheelchair accessible, and offers VIP experiences for select shows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Independent Venue A 500-capacity live music venue in San Francisco's NOPA district hosting diverse entertainment including hip-hop, EDM, indie, rock, comedy, podcasts, and emerging artists. Features robust sound and lighting, professional staff, and an intimate club atmosphere, and is wheelchair accessible.
• Ticket Sales Online and in-person ticket sales for live music events, primarily distributed through the TicketWeb platform with walk-up box office sales at the venue on show nights. The venue is cashless, accepting all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
• Bar Services Full bar service offering cocktails, beer, wine, and other beverages at live music events. Cashless payments only, accepting all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
• Merchandise Store Online merchandise store powered by Shopify selling official venue and artist merchandise.
• Coat Check Coat and bag check service available for $3 per item at live music events.
• VIP Experiences VIP ticket packages for select shows including early entry, meet and greets, exclusive merchandise, and premium seating options.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bud LightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage partner visible on venue materials and marketing collaterals.
• Fort Point BeerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal San Francisco craft beer brand featured as a beverage partner.
• APE BeveragesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage partner affiliated with Another Planet Entertainment, the venue's parent company.
• LyftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial rideshare partner of The Independent. Patrons can schedule rides to and from shows through the Lyft app up to one hour in advance, facilitating transportation to the venue.
• TicketWebcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary ticketing platform for online ticket sales, phone orders, and digital ticket delivery. All shows listed and sold through TicketWeb.
• Another Planet EntertainmentcoreOthersParent company and operator of The Independent venue. Manages venue operations, event production, and health/safety policies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Fillmore: Iconic San Francisco live music venue operating at a similar mid-tier capacity range, sharing the same NOPA/downtown SF market, comparable programming, and overlapping artist bookers.
• Bottom of the Hill: Long-running small-capacity San Francisco live music club with similar emerging-artist focus, comparable ticketing and bar model, and overlapping local concert-goer audience.
• The Chapel: Intimate San Francisco live music venue with similar capacity, mixed-genre programming, and bar-driven revenue model, competing head-to-head in the same SF market.
• Great American Music Hall: Historic San Francisco intimate live music venue with comparable capacity and similar multi-genre programming, directly competing for the same SF live music audience.
• Cafe Du Nord: San Francisco intimate live music venue in a similar capacity tier with comparable programming and bar service, competing for the same live music patrons in the city.
• Brick & Mortar Music Hall: Bay Area intimate live music venue with similar capacity, multi-genre programming, and ticketing model, serving overlapping emerging-artist audiences.
• The New Parish: Oakland-based intimate live music venue of similar capacity with comparable ticketing, bar, and emerging-artist programming model, expanding the SF Bay Area competitive set.

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: Major live entertainment promoter and venue operator with a Bay Area footprint, competing for the same touring artist pipeline and offering artists larger-room alternatives to 500-cap clubs.
• The Warfield: Larger San Francisco live music venue also operated by Another Planet Entertainment, offering comparable programming at greater scale and a sister-venue relationship within the same parent portfolio.
• Live Nation: Largest global live entertainment operator owning and operating numerous venues and festivals, providing the broader competitive context for artist booking, ticketing infrastructure, and tour routing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/indysf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw-hr73vYydqxKOFArc6ZCA?ab_channel=TheIndependent
• Facebookfacebook.com/theindependentsf
• Instagraminstagram.com/theindependentsf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Independent