What The Stone Pony does

The Stone Pony is a privately held live music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in continuous operation since February 8, 1974. It serves three core audiences: concert-going fans across New Jersey, New York, and the Jersey Shore; national touring artists seeking a legendary booking; and local musicians building careers in the Asbury Park scene. The physical asset is 913 Ocean Avenue, an indoor general-admission standing-room venue with state-of-the-art sound and lighting (upgraded in 2009), complemented by the outdoor Summer Stage that expanded in 2009 to span a city block, and a permanent Guitar Gallery of 300+ instruments and memorabilia functioning as an in-house museum.

The business operates five identifiable revenue streams: (1) ticket sales routed through Ticketmaster and on-site box office, with prices ranging from approximately $17 advance for smaller bookings to higher tiers for touring headliners; (2) on-site food and beverage through operated bars and contracted vendors including Bubbakoos Burritos and Philly Pretzel Factory; (3) private venue rentals for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and corporate events; (4) merchandise sales through shop.stoneponyonline.com; and (5) artist rehearsal and recording services with up to 48-channel multitrack capability. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by a Live Nation partnership established in April 2008 that books national touring acts and presents Summer Stage, supplemented by direct box-office and Constant Contact-driven email marketing.

The ownership chain runs from the original founders Jack Roig and Butch Pielka through a 1992 bankruptcy-court sale to Steven Nasar, a brief 1998 attempted conversion to a dance club called 'Vinyl,' a 2000 reopening under Domenic Santana, and acquisition by Asbury Partners in July 2003. Current leadership includes General Manager Caroline O'Toole, with long-tenured institutional figures including house promoter Kyle Brendle (since the mid-1980s) and house DJ Lee Mrowicki sustaining programming continuity. The venue celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024 with proclamations from the State of New Jersey, Monmouth County, and City of Asbury Park and a Billboard Magazine feature.

Name

The Stone Pony

Legal name

The Stone Pony

Website

https://stoneponyonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Stone Pony is a privately held, 50-year-old live music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, operating indoor shows, the outdoor Summer Stage series, and venue rentals. It serves concert fans across the Jersey Shore region and is promoted by Live Nation, with additional revenue from food and beverage, merchandise, and rehearsal/recording services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Asbury Park

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 from concert tickets sold through Ticketmaster online and at the box office. Tickets range from approximately $17 for smaller events to higher prices for major national acts. The venue is general admission with capacity for standing room.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: On-site bars accepting credit cards serving alcohol, with food vendors including Bubbakoos Burritos (available for every Summer Stage show) and Philly Pretzel Factory.
3. Venue Rentals and Private Events: The venue is available for rentals including weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and most festive occasions. Contact through [email protected] for pricing and information.
4. Merchandise Sales: The Stone Pony operates an online store (shop.stoneponyonline.com) selling Pony merchandise including apparel and the 50th anniversary commemorative items.
5. Rehearsals and Recording: The venue is available for artist and tour rehearsals, live audio and video recording including up to 48 channel multitrack recordings. Production prep packages available for bands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Stone Pony is a live music venue in Asbury Park, NJ, hosting concerts by national touring acts and local musicians in an indoor general-admission space. It also operates the seasonal Summer Stage outdoor series, an online merchandise store, a Guitar Gallery exhibit, and a venue rental service for private events including weddings and corporate functions. Artist rehearsal and 48-channel multitrack recording services are offered as additional paid offerings.

Product overview

The Stone Pony is a live music venue in Asbury Park, NJ, operating since 1974. The company offers indoor concert experiences at its main venue, an outdoor Summer Stage series during warm months, and online merchandise sales through its e-commerce store. Additional revenue streams include private event rentals for occasions like weddings and corporate functions, as well as artist rehearsal and recording studio services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summer Stage: The outdoor Summer Stage venue at The Stone Pony, which hosts major outdoor concerts during warm weather months.

Products and services

• The Stone Pony Indoor Venue The main indoor general-admission concert hall featuring state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, hosting national touring acts and local New Jersey musicians year-round.
• Summer Stage An expansive outdoor concert venue area covering the width of a city block, hosting major warm-weather concerts and festivals in a seaside Asbury Park setting.
• Venue Rentals (Private Events) Private event hosting services at The Stone Pony for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and corporate celebrations, with custom pricing provided via email inquiry.
• Rehearsal & Recording Services Artist and tour rehearsal space with live audio and video recording capabilities, including up to 48-channel multitrack recording and production prep packages for bands.
• Pony Gear Merchandise Official Stone Pony branded merchandise including apparel and commemorative items sold through the venue's online store at shop.stoneponyonline.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ attendees came to mourn Clarence Clemons in 2011, showing deep community connection
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Live NationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2008Partnership with world's largest concert promoter beginning April 2008. Live Nation has developed Asbury Park as a primary musical market for national touring acts and created new opportunities for local musicians. Live Nation is presenting partner for Summer Stage Series.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner for advance ticket sales. Provides online ticketing platform integrated throughout the Stone Pony website with direct links to purchase tickets for events.
• North 2 Shore (N2S)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresents multiple major events at the venue including Bouncing Souls: Stoked for the Summer and Streetlight Manifesto shows. Partnership includes charity component with $1 from each ticket benefitting N2S Food Pantry.
• PLUS1minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity partnership where $1 from each ticket sold goes to support causes including Music Health Alliance (Wyatt Flores), Last Prisoner Project (Charley Crockett), and N2S Food Pantry.
• Madison MarquettemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational retail development company that partnered with the Pony to ensure its place in Asbury Park's redevelopment. Gary Mottola brought the company to the city due to love for New Jersey and understanding that Asbury Park is unique and must be preserved.
• Miller LiteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage sponsor visible on the venue website and likely at the venue.
• PepsiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage sponsor visible on the venue website and likely at the venue.
• TeachRock.org (Little Steven Van Zandt's Nonprofit)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Stevie Van Zandt's nonprofit that offers free lesson plans for teachers and families, inspiring deeper learning through music. Donation supports TeachRock's partnership with Asbury Park Middle School.
• Light of Day FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual concert event raising money for Parkinson's Disease research. Started as an intimate birthday party for founder Bob Benjamin and evolved into a major fundraiser.
• Laz ParkingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParking partner allowing advance parking spot reservations through their platform at go.lazparking.com.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Fillmore: Historic San Francisco music venue (and Live Nation-operated chain of Fillmore locations) with similar legacy status, comparable capacity, and iconic brand. Operated by Live Nation, the Stone Pony's own promotional partner, making it both a peer and a programmatic sibling.
• House of Blues: Live Nation-owned chain of mid-sized music venues across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable as a Live Nation-affiliated concert venue chain, though broader in geographic scope and more standardized in experience.

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Bowl: Multi-revenue live music venue in NYC combining concerts, bowling, and food/beverage. Comparable in combining ticketed music with F&B and experiential offerings, and serving a similar fan demographic.
• Webster Hall: Historic NYC live music venue with similar capacity, legendary status (operating since 1886), and standing-room concert format. Comparable in tier, audience, and event-driven GTM motion.
• Bowery Ballroom: Long-running NYC live music venue with similar general-admission standing-room model, comparable capacity (~600), and a reputation for hosting both emerging indie acts and established touring artists. Closely comparable in scale and GTM motion.
• 9:30 Club: Iconic Washington DC live music venue with comparable capacity (~1,200-2,000), similar standing-room general admission model, and a reputation for booking both national touring acts and emerging artists. Direct competitor for Northeast touring circuit.
• Music Hall of Williamsburg: Bowery Presents/Live Nation-operated NYC venue with similar capacity (~1,400), general-admission standing-room format, and a focus on indie and rock touring acts. Comparable tier and audience overlap.
• First Avenue & 7th Street Entry: Iconic Minneapolis live music venue operating since 1970 with similar legendary status, comparable capacity, and a parallel role in launching artists (Prince). Directly comparable as a historic mid-sized music club with strong community identity.
• Irving Plaza: Historic NYC mid-sized concert venue with similar capacity, general-admission standing model, and a mixed calendar of legacy acts and emerging artists. Direct competitor on the Northeast touring circuit.
• The Troubadour: Legendary West Hollywood music club operating since 1957, famous for launching artists (Eagles, Elton John). Comparable as a historic mid-sized music venue with strong cultural legacy and similar mix of national touring acts and local bookings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeinstagram.com/the_stone_pony
• Facebookfacebook.com/stonepony
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_stone_pony
• Xx.com/thestonepony
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stone-pony

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Stone Pony