The Saxon Pub
The Saxon Pub is an independently owned, award-winning live music listening room in Austin, Texas, founded in 1990. It serves 21+ audiences with nightly ticketed performances, food and beverage sales, and private event hosting across Americana, blues, country, folk, and rock genres.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Saxon Pub does
The Saxon Pub is an award-winning live music venue and listening room located at 1320 S. Lamar in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1990 and independently owned, the venue has hosted over 30,000 musical performances across Americana, blues, country, folk, rock, and jazz. It operates as a 21-and-older establishment with both indoor seating and an outdoor patio, and is known for its intimate acoustic-music atmosphere that drew praise from Kris Kristofferson, who likened performing there to "playing in his own living room." A documentary about the venue, "Nothing Stays the Same, The Story of The Saxon Pub," is available on Amazon Prime.
The business generates revenue through three primary streams: ticket sales and cover charges for ticketed performances ($10-$25 general admission, up to $50 for premium/reserved events; many happy-hour shows are free with tips appreciated), food and beverage sales (alcoholic beverages plus a food truck partnership with Wrigleyville South Dogs & Beef, eliminating the need for an in-house kitchen), and private event hosting fees (birthdays, weddings, receptions, corporate events, video/movie shoots, fundraisers). Distribution is primarily direct via the venue's own website and door sales, with Eventbrite used for select ticketed events, and merchandise sold through Big Cartel.
Operationally, the venue maintains a dense nightly calendar (42 events listed for August 2026 alone) including recurring series such as Tunesmiths Tuesdays, the Purgatory Players Gospel Brunch (a charitable partnership with Central Texas Food Bank), and the BMI Acoustic Lounge (a partnership with Broadcast Music, Inc.). Marketing is organic and community-driven via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, a self-described "haphazard newsletter," and the website calendar, with no disclosed technology platform or AI capabilities. The Saxon Pub competes in the niche listening-room category rather than the broader bar or arena segments, leveraging three decades of brand equity and deep ties to the Austin music ecosystem.
The Saxon Pub firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Saxon Pub
- Website
- https://thesaxonpub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Saxon Pub is an independently owned, award-winning live music listening room in Austin, Texas, founded in 1990. It serves 21+ audiences with nightly ticketed performances, food and beverage sales, and private event hosting across Americana, blues, country, folk, and rock genres.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Saxon Pub industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)
Keywords
Where The Saxon Pub is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Saxon Pub business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales and Cover Charges: Revenue generated from ticket sales for ticketed shows and cover charges for performances. Some shows offer free admission with optional tips, while others have fixed ticket prices ranging from $10 to $25 for general admission and reserved seating options.
- Food and Beverage Sales: The venue generates revenue from alcoholic beverages and food sales. Food is provided by an on-site food truck partner, Wrigleyville South Dogs & Beef, located just outside the front door.
- Private Event Hosting: The venue hosts private events including birthday parties, retirement parties, wedding receptions, video and movie shoots, and fundraisers. Revenue generated through venue rental fees for these private bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free Shows (Happy Hour) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Reserved Seating |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Ticketed Events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Saxon Pub product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Saxon Pub is an award-winning live music venue and listening room in Austin, Texas, operating since 1990. It hosts nightly live music performances across genres including Americana, blues, country, folk, and rock, with recurring weekly series such as Tunesmiths Tuesdays and the Purgatory Players Gospel Brunch. The venue offers ticketed and free admission shows, private event hosting (birthday parties, wedding receptions, corporate events, fundraisers), and food and beverage service through an on-site food truck partnership.
Product overview
The Saxon Pub is a live music venue and listening room in Austin, Texas. The establishment offers live musical performances across various genres including Americana, country, blues, folk, rock, and jazz. Services include ticketed and free admission shows, private event hosting for parties, weddings, and corporate events, food and beverage service through an on-site food truck partnership, and merchandise sales via Big Cartel. The venue operates as a bar with a 21+ age requirement, featuring both indoor seating and an outdoor patio area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30,000 musical performances hosted since opening in 1990
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Saxon Pub
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Saxon Pub technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Saxon Pub partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Wrigleyville South Dogs & BeefcoreFood truck partnership providing food service just outside the front door of the venue. The food truck adds brunch items for special occasions like the Purgatory Players Gospel Brunch. Supports the venue's food and beverage offering without the venue needing to operate a kitchen.
- Central Texas Food BankminorCharitable partner connected through the Purgatory Players Gospel Brunch event series. The venue hosts weekly Sunday gospel brunches where the Purgatory Players pass a tip jar to raise funds for the Central Texas Food Bank, which serves over 46,000 people weekly across 21 counties.
- BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)coreBMI Acoustic Lounge is a regular event series at The Saxon Pub featuring BMI-affiliated songwriters. BMI is a global leader in music rights management representing over 25 million musical works and more than 1.4 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Saxon Pub competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Belly Up Tavern: Solana Beach, CA listening room and live-music venue with comparable intimate-capacity, ticketed-show + bar-service model. Comparable on genre mix (Americana, roots, indie) and decades-long operating history.
- Continental Club: Iconic Austin live-music venue on South Congress with a comparable model: bar + nightly live music, mixed ticketed/free shows, and multi-decade operating history. Directly comparable on product format, target customer, and Austin music ecosystem.
- The Bluebird Theater: Intimate Nashville listening room and songwriter venue with a comparable 'intimate live music + bar + ticketed-show' model. Comparable on capacity, songwriter-pipeline focus, and reputation as a career-launching venue.
- Bowery Ballroom: Iconic New York intimate live-music venue with comparable ticketed-show, bar-service, and listening-room format. Comparable on capacity, indie/Americana-leaning programming, and ticketing mix.
- Antone's: Austin live-music and blues venue with a comparable bar + ticketed-show model. Directly comparable on Austin live-music positioning, ticketed + walk-in revenue mix, and recurring-show format.
- Cactus Cafe: Long-running intimate listening room at UT Austin with a similar singer-songwriter / Americana programming model. Closely comparable on the 'listening room' positioning, intimate capacity, and acoustic music curation.
- The Troubadour: Legendary West Hollywood listening room and live-music venue with a comparable intimate-capacity, ticketed-show + bar-service model. Comparable as a heritage listening-room venue with documented career-launching history.
- Gruene Hall: Texas dance hall and live-music venue in Gruene, TX, with a comparable 'historic listening/dance venue with bar service' model. Comparable on genre mix (country, Americana), ticketed-show structure, and decades-long operating history.
Regional players
- Emo's Austin: Austin live-music venue on East Riverside with comparable ticketed-show + bar model but younger-skewing programming (punk, hip-hop, electronic). Comparable on Austin live-music positioning and ticketing mix; differs on age restriction and genre focus.
Broad incumbents
- ACL Live at The Moody Theater: Larger Austin live-music venue operated as part of the Live Nation / C3 ecosystem. Comparable on Austin live-music positioning and programming, but operates at materially higher capacity with corporate backing, not asset-light.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Saxon Pub social profiles
Digital presenceThe Saxon Pub financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Saxon Pub leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Saxon Pub funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Saxon Pub M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Saxon Pub
What does The Saxon Pub do?
The Saxon Pub is an award-winning live music venue and listening room in Austin, Texas, operating since 1990. It hosts nightly live music performances across genres including Americana, blues, country, folk, and rock, with recurring weekly series such as Tunesmiths Tuesdays and the Purgatory Players Gospel Brunch. The venue offers ticketed and free admission shows, private event hosting (birthday parties, wedding receptions, corporate events, fundraisers), and food and beverage service through an on-site food truck partnership.
Is The Saxon Pub a public or private company?
The Saxon Pub is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Saxon Pub founded?
The Saxon Pub was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Saxon Pub based?
The Saxon Pub is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Saxon Pub make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales and Cover Charges are the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage Sales and private Event Hosting.
Who are The Saxon Pub's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Belly Up Tavern, Continental Club, The Bluebird Theater, Bowery Ballroom, Antone's, Cactus Cafe, The Troubadour and Gruene Hall. Emo's Austin is listed as a regional player. ACL Live at The Moody Theater is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Saxon Pub have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Saxon Pub.
What industry is The Saxon Pub in?
The Saxon Pub's product category is Live Music Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.