Jazz Steps

What Jazz Steps does

Jazz Steps is a community-focused jazz promotion organization based in Nottingham, England, operating as a branded programme under the parent entity East Midlands Jazz. The organisation's core function is curating and promoting live jazz performances at a small network of physical venues across the East Midlands, principally the Bonington Theatre in Arnold and library venues in Beeston, Worksop, and West Bridgford. Its flagship product, Jazz Steps Live at the Libraries, is delivered in partnership with the Inspire cultural organisation and is celebrating its 15th anniversary in October 2026, evidencing durable programming in community spaces.

The business has no software, platform, or technology component; its offering consists entirely of scheduled live events. Marketing and audience development run through a website (mjazz.co.uk), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, supplemented by cross-promotion with neighbouring regional jazz organisations including Derby Jazz, Leicester Jazz House, Lincoln Jazzpac, and Jazz Northants. Public programming visible in the input runs through late 2026 with a mix of UK and international jazz artists performing at both theatre and library venues.

Jazz Steps generates revenue through ticket sales and venue-based event promotion, described in source material as a transaction-fee model. No pricing, financials, funding, headcount, or management data are publicly disclosed. The organisation is privately operated, has no disclosed institutional investment or venture backing, and is positioned as a regional cultural intermediary rather than a scalable commercial enterprise.

Name

Jazz Steps

Legal name

East Midlands Jazz

Website

https://jazzsteps.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Jazz Steps is a Nottingham-based jazz promotion organisation operating under East Midlands Jazz, curating live jazz performances at Bonington Theatre and library venues across the East Midlands for local audiences and jazz enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Promotion

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Live jazz performances
• Jazz concert promotion
• Community jazz events
• Jazz music venue
• Library jazz series

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Live Event Promotion: Jazz Steps generates revenue through promoting and organizing live jazz events at various venues across the East Midlands. Revenue appears to come from ticket sales and venue partnerships for live music performances.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jazz Steps promotes and organizes live jazz concerts at venues across the East Midlands of England, including regular performances at Bonington Theatre in Arnold and at library venues in Beeston, Worksop, and West Bridgford. Its flagship "Jazz Steps Live at the Libraries" series, now celebrating 15 years, is delivered in partnership with the Inspire cultural organization to make live jazz accessible to local communities.

Product overview

Jazz Steps is a jazz music promotion organization operating as part of East Midlands Jazz. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform. Its core offering consists of organizing and promoting live jazz concerts and events at various venues across Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands region, including regular performances at Bonington Theatre (Arnold), Beeston Library, Worksop Library, and West Bridgford Library. The Jazz Steps Live at the Libraries series, now celebrating 15 years, is a flagship program conducted in partnership with Inspire cultural organization. Events feature performances by jazz artists and quartets throughout the year, with the organization also connecting to regional jazz networks including Derby Jazz, Leicester Jazz House, Lincoln Jazzpac, and Jazz Northants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jazz Steps Live at the Libraries A recurring series of live jazz concerts held at public library venues across Nottinghamshire (Beeston, Worksop, and West Bridgford), delivered in partnership with the Inspire cultural organization and targeting local community audiences.
• Jazz Steps Concerts at Bonington Theatre Regular jazz concerts held at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold, Nottingham, serving as the flagship venue for Jazz Steps' live jazz programming.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InspirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJazz Steps has a partnership with Inspire for library venues in West Bridgford, bringing jazz performances to library spaces and making jazz accessible to local communities.
• Bonington TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership with Bonington Theatre in Arnold for regular jazz performances.
• East Midlands Jazz Organizations NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCross-promotional partnerships with Derby Jazz, Leicester Jazz House, Lincoln Jazzpac, and Jazz Northants to promote jazz events across the East Midlands region.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Derby Jazz: Derbyshire-based jazz promoter explicitly named by Jazz Steps as a cross-promotional partner. Operates a near-identical model of regular live jazz concerts at venues across the East Midlands, making it the closest comparable in geography, scale, and programming philosophy.
• Mostly Jazz Festival: Moseley, Birmingham-based annual jazz festival operating in the same Midlands catchment as Jazz Steps. Comparable in genre focus and audience base, with a slightly larger event format but identical regional live jazz proposition.
• Jazz Northants: Northamptonshire jazz promoter listed as a Jazz Steps cross-promotion partner. Operates a comparable programme of ticketed jazz gigs at community venues, making it a direct regional peer in audience scale and programming cadence.
• Lincoln Jazzpac: Lincoln-based jazz promoter named as a Jazz Steps cross-promotion partner. Similar volunteer/community jazz promotion model serving a defined East Midlands catchment, with comparable venue scale and event frequency.
• Jazz at the Lescar: Sheffield-based independent jazz promoter running a long-running series of live jazz gigs at a single venue. Highly comparable regional UK jazz promotion model with similar audience size, event frequency, and community-theatre economics.
• Leicester Jazz House: Leicester-based jazz promoter listed as a Jazz Steps cross-promotion partner. Runs regular ticketed live jazz events at a fixed venue, directly comparable in regional live jazz promotion, audience targeting, and event-driven GTM motion.
• Cambridge Jazz Festival: East-of-England jazz festival and promoter running annual ticketed jazz programming. Comparable as a UK regional jazz promoter, with a festival rather than recurring-gig format, but serving an analogous community-leisure audience.

Emerging players

• Jazz re:freshed: Independent UK platform promoting contemporary jazz through gigs, residencies, and a record label. Comparable as an emerging UK jazz promoter with similar audience demographics, though more focused on new/UK jazz rather than touring international artists.

Broad incumbents

• Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club: Iconic London jazz venue and promoter, part of the wider Ronnie Scott's charitable group. Operates at substantially larger scale and on a national/international circuit but competes for the same UK live jazz audience and artist booking pool as Jazz Steps.
• Pizza Express Jazz Club: National chain of restaurant venues hosting regular ticketed live jazz programming across multiple UK cities. Broader incumbent in the UK live jazz space — same product category, scaled geographic footprint, but operates within a commercial dining context rather than community venues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jazzsteps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcV2RyifkbKFfuG73m9P-Og
• Facebookfacebook.com/Nottingham-Jazz-Steps-191267037563506
• Instagraminstagram.com/jazzsteps97

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 Jazz Steps