The Evening Muse

What The Evening Muse does

The Evening Muse is a single-location intimate live music venue operating in Charlotte, North Carolina's NoDa Arts District since April 2001. The 120-capacity venue hosts ticketed concerts featuring local, regional, and national original independent music acts across genres including acoustic, Americana, blues, country, folk, hip-hop, jazz, pop, reggae, rock, R&B, and singer-songwriter, as well as comedy, spoken word, and poetry performances. Core programming includes weekly Monday night "Find Your Muse" open mic events (with a $5 entry fee and random in-person sign-up), curated ticketed shows booked approximately three months in advance, and comedy nights coordinated through a partnership with Charlotte Laughs Tonight.

The venue provides a full professional PA system and on-site sound engineer for all performances, with optional video recording services available to open mic performers for $20 via PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App. Seating arrangements are flexible (standing, seated, or combination) based on performer preference. Ticketing is processed exclusively through Eventbrite, with reserved seating offered on select shows and monthly event collection pages running through November 2026. Marketing is conducted via the company website (eveningmuse.com), Facebook, and Instagram.

Revenue is generated primarily through three streams: Eventbrite ticket sales at varying price points by event, on-site food and beverage sales (locally brewed beers, wine, spirits, and soft drinks) with a $5 under-21 door surcharge, and performance video recording fees. The venue is privately held, operates with 1-10 employees, and serves music lovers in Charlotte and the broader Southeast US region. It has accumulated multiple awards including Charlotte Magazine's BOB Awards Voter's Choice for Best Live Performance Venue (2019, 2020, 2022) and "Best Open Mic" recognition for ten-plus consecutive years.

Name

The Evening Muse

Legal name

The Evening Muse

Website

https://eveningmuse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Evening Muse is a 120-capacity intimate live music venue in Charlotte's NoDa Arts District, operating since 2001. It hosts ticketed concerts, weekly open mics, comedy, and spoken word performances featuring original independent artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Intimate concerts
• Open mic events
• Comedy shows
• Listening room performances

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The venue sells tickets to shows through Eventbrite. Tickets are sold at varying prices depending on the event, with some shows offering reserved seating options.
2. Performance Recording: Video recording services are offered to performers for $20, payable through PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App.
3. Food and Beverage Sales: The venue generates revenue from alcohol sales including locally brewed beers, soft drinks, and full line of liquors. There is a $5 surcharge at the door for those under 21.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Evening Muse is an intimate 120-capacity live entertainment venue in Charlotte, NC's NoDa Arts District that hosts ticketed concerts featuring local, regional, and national artists, weekly Monday night open mics, comedy shows, spoken word and poetry performances. The venue provides a full PA system and sound engineer for every show, plus optional video recording services for open mic performers and on-site food and beverage service.

Product overview

The Evening Muse is an intimate music venue located in Charlotte, NC's NoDa Arts District, operating since April 2001. The venue offers a unified set of live entertainment services centered around its core performance space, including: Find Your Muse Open Mic (weekly Monday night events), live music concerts featuring local, regional and national acts, comedy shows coordinated through Charlotte Laughs Tonight, spoken word and poetry performances, and optional video recording services for open mic performers. The venue provides full PA and sound engineering, seats up to 120 guests, and operates as a listening room environment with an excellent sound system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Music Events Ticketed live music performances featuring up-and-coming and established independent musicians, with full PA system and sound engineer provided; held at the 120-capacity NoDa venue for general audiences.
• Find Your Muse Open Mic Weekly Monday night open mic event featuring local musicians, spoken word artists, poets, and comedians; $5 admission fee for both audience and performers; sign-ups in person 7:15pm-7:30pm with random selection.
• Comedy Shows 18+ comedy performances featuring up to 5 comedians per night, scheduled in coordination with Charlotte Laughs Tonight on Facebook.
• Performance Video Recording Service Optional video recording service for open mic performers; sign up at start of the night, $20 per performance paid via PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App, with video delivered within one week.
• Venue Rental / Booking Performance booking and venue rental for original music bands and performing artists; 120-person capacity, full PA and sound engineer included; requires original music acts with show history drawing 60+ on weeknights or 80+ on weekends.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EventbritecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary ticketing platform for all venue shows. Eventbrite handles ticket sales and distribution for events. The venue maintains monthly event pages on Eventbrite for upcoming shows and ticket purchases.
• Charlotte Laughs TonightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFacebook-based comedy booking coordinator for scheduling comedy acts at the venue. Contact point for comedians wanting to perform at The Evening Muse, with 5 comedy slots available per Monday night open mic.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eddie's Attic: Long-running intimate listening room in Decatur, GA, focused on original songwriters and emerging artists. Direct comparable in listening-room concept, ~120–180 capacity, and artist-development reputation.
• The Milestone: Intimate original-music bar venue in Charlotte, NC, directly competing for the same local audience and original-bands booking pool. Closest comparable in terms of capacity, format, and target customer.
• The Basement: Intimate Nashville listening room below The Basement East, focused on songwriters and emerging original acts. Comparable in capacity, original-music-only programming, and artist-development reputation.
• Belly Up Tavern: Long-running 600-capacity independent live music venue in Solana Beach, CA, presenting touring original acts. Comparable in independent-operator ethos, ticketed-bar format, and reputation-driven programming.
• Snug Harbor: Charlotte-based intimate music and comedy venue hosting live original bands, open mics, and touring acts. Comparable in scale, programming mix, and regional artist pipeline.
• The Grey Eagle: Intimate Asheville, NC music venue and pub presenting national and regional touring acts. Comparable in intimate-capacity listening-room model, F&B-driven revenue, and regional original-music positioning.
• The Cat's Cradle: Iconic 500-capacity independent music club in Chapel Hill, NC, that books a similar indie/folk/rock touring roster. Comparable in Carolinas regional circuit and original-music focus, though larger capacity.
• The Pour House: Intimate Charleston, SC music venue featuring national and regional original touring acts. Comparable in Southeast regional circuit, ticketed-bar model, and indie/folk/roots focus.

Broad incumbents

• The Fillmore Charlotte: Larger (~2,000 capacity) Live Nation-operated music venue in Charlotte. Competes for the same local concert-going audience but at materially higher capacity and with corporate promoter backing.
• AEG Presents: Global live entertainment promoter and venue operator. Indirectly relevant as the broader incumbent ecosystem (and parent of competing venues) that The Evening Muse competes against for touring artist routing in the Carolinas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eveningmuseclt

Compliance1 record

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 Evening Muse