Higher Ground
Higher Ground is a privately held Vermont-based live music venue and event promoter founded in 1998, operating multi-space venues and partner locations across the Northeast to host touring artists for regional concert audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSouth Burlington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Higher Ground does
Higher Ground is a privately held live music venue and event promotion company founded in 1998 and headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont. The company operates a multi-space venue complex that includes the Ballroom and Showcase Lounge at its primary Williston Road location, plus the Shakedown Lounge at Stowe Cider. It extends its programming through partnerships with regional venues including Spruce Peak Arts, Shelburne Museum, The Flynn, Capitol Center for the Arts, Waterfront Park, and Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo, enabling larger-capacity and outdoor configurations without owning each asset.
The company's core offering is a continuous calendar of live music events spanning folk, bluegrass, rock, indie, electronic, and Americana genres, featuring touring artists such as Thundercat, Sylvan Esso, Lake Street Dive, Modest Mouse, Alabama Shakes, Graham Nash, Gregory Alan Isakov, Old Crow Medicine Show, Of Monsters and Men, and Gaelic Storm. Tickets are sold through a SeeTickets-integrated website using tiered pricing (e.g., $25 early bird, $30 advance, $38 day-of-show). Higher Ground curates its own HG Presents concert series and co-presents events with regional promoters and booking agencies including evenko, Nexus Artists, ElmThree, True 802, and Northern Corridor Booking.
The business model is event-driven, generating revenue primarily through ticket sales supplemented by presenting sponsorships (e.g., Mascoma Bank for the Waterfront Concert Series) and benefit-show tie-ins with social-cause partners such as PLUS1 and Make-A-Wish Vermont. The company reports approximately 64 employees and operates without disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or executive leadership changes in the available data. Higher Ground functions as a Vermont-anchored live entertainment promoter serving regional audiences across Vermont and the broader Northeast, with selected shows extending into the New Hampshire and New Jersey markets.
Higher Ground firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Higher Ground
- Legal name
- Higher Ground
- Website
- https://highergroundmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Higher Ground is a privately held Vermont-based live music venue and event promoter founded in 1998, operating multi-space venues and partner locations across the Northeast to host touring artists for regional concert audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Higher Ground industry classification
Industry- 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
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)
Keywords
Where Higher Ground is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South Burlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Higher Ground business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream through advance and day-of-show ticket sales via SeeTickets platform. Ticket prices vary by event with early bird, advance, and day-of-show pricing tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | General admission tickets with tiered pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Higher Ground product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Higher Ground is a live music venue and event promotion company based in South Burlington, Vermont, operating multiple venue spaces including the Ballroom and Showcase Lounge at its main location and the Shakedown Lounge at Stowe Cider. The company produces and promotes live concerts across genres, with online ticket sales via the SeeTickets platform, and partners with regional venues for larger-capacity shows. Higher Ground also runs the HG Presents series, curating higher-profile artist events across Vermont and the broader Northeast.
Product overview
Higher Ground is a music venue and event promotion company based in South Burlington, Vermont, operating a multi-space venue complex including the Ballroom and Showcase Lounge at its primary location, plus the Shakedown Lounge at Stowe Cider. The company offers live music events, online ticket sales, and curated concert programming through its HG Presents series. Higher Ground partners with additional venues including the Shelburne Museum and Spruce Peak Arts for larger-scale events. The company maintains an online store for merchandise, a mailing list for event notifications, and archives of past events dating to 1998.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Higher Ground Venue Spaces Multi-space live music venue hosting concerts and live performances at the Ballroom and Showcase Lounge at its primary South Burlington location (1214 Williston Rd) and the Shakedown Lounge at Stowe Cider. The venue also partners with external locations including Spruce Peak Arts, Shelburne Museum, Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo, Waterfront Park, and Terrace Park for larger-scale productions.
- HG Presents Concert Series Curated concert series featuring higher-profile artists presented directly by Higher Ground, including acts such as Thundercat, Sylvan Esso, Lake Street Dive, Alabama Shakes, Modest Mouse, Big Thief, Indigo Girls, Graham Nash, and Gregory Alan Isakov with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Events are held at Higher Ground's venues and partner locations across Vermont and New Hampshire.
- Concert Ticket Sales Online ticket sales for concerts and live events through the SeeTickets platform (wl.seetickets.us), accessible via the Higher Ground website. Pricing uses tiered models with early bird, advance, and day-of-show pricing tiers, plus limited "Low Tix" promotions for select events.
Companies that use Higher Ground
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Higher Ground technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Higher Ground partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New YorkcoreOteil Burbridge & LaMP benefit concert for Make-A-Wish's mission to bring hope, strength and joy to children with critical illnesses in Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
- Spruce Peak ArtscoreCo-presenter of shows at Spruce Peak Arts venue in Stowe, VT. Includes events like Spin Doctors, Travelin' McCourys, Graham Nash, Stewart Copeland.
- Mascoma BankcorePresenting sponsor of Waterfront Concert Series at Waterfront Park Burlington, featuring Sylvan Esso and other acts.
- Nexus ArtistscorePromotional partner for Sunday Night Mass electronic music series, bringing national and international DJ talent to Higher Ground.
- evenkominorConcert promoter partnership for Lake Street Dive shows at Shelburne Museum.
- True 802minorCo-presenter of The 2026 Vermont Reggae Fest at Terrace Park Burlington.
- ElmThreeminorCo-presenter of multiple shows including Eggy, Ripe, and Vermont Reggae Fest.
- The FlynnminorVenue partner for Marcus King Band performance at The Flynn in Burlington.
- Northern Corridor BookingminorBooking partnership for Split in Half final show.
- PLUS1minor$1 per ticket from Winyah show goes to supporting organizations working for equity, access, and dignity for all.
- Capitol Center for the ArtsminorCo-presenter of Punch Brothers show at CCANH in Concord, NH.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Higher Ground competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Paradise Rock Club: Iconic Boston-area club venue operating comparable general-admission touring-artist shows in the same Northeast corridor. Similar capacity tier and reliance on agent-routed touring talent as Higher Ground.
- The Sinclair: Mid-sized independent music venue in Cambridge, MA with comparable multi-tier programming (intimate to mid-cap shows), strong indie and Americana bookings, and a similar general-admission tiered ticketing approach. Directly comparable in scale and regional New England positioning.
- 9:30 Club: Iconic Washington, DC mid-size venue known for diverse genre programming and a deep roster of touring headliners. Closely comparable operating model and audience profile to Higher Ground.
- Tipitina's: Legendary New Orleans music venue running diverse genre programming (jamband, funk, indie, brass) out of a single primary room. Comparable in scale, programming philosophy, and independent operator profile.
- Music Hall of Williamsburg: Bowery Presents-operated mid-cap venue in Brooklyn offering comparable indie/rock/electronic programming and tiered ticketing. Highly relevant peer for Higher Ground's HG Presents-tier shows targeting national touring acts.
- Stone Pony: Asbury Park, NJ music venue operating an indoor stage and seasonal outdoor programming (Summer Stage) with a similar mix of legacy rock, indie, and emerging touring acts. Directly comparable as a regional multi-format venue.
- Toad's Place: Long-running New Haven, CT venue hosting touring artists across genres on a comparable capacity tier. Similar operating model as a regional general-admission club venue in the Northeast touring circuit.
Broad incumbents
- Bowery Presents (AEG): Northeast venue operator and promoter running Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Steel, and Rough Trade. Larger regional incumbent that competes with Higher Ground for headliner routing and provides a scaled peer benchmark.
- House of Blues: Live Nation-owned national venue chain with a Boston-area room (House of Blues Boston) directly competing for the same headliner touring acts as Higher Ground. Representative broad incumbent competitor.
- I.M.P. (9:30 Club / The Anthem operator): Independent DC-based promoter and venue operator running 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and Lincoln Theatre. Comparable as a scaled independent promoter-venue operator within the Northeast touring ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Higher Ground social profiles
Digital presenceHigher Ground financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Higher Ground leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Higher Ground funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Higher Ground 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 Higher Ground
What does Higher Ground do?
Higher Ground is a live music venue and event promotion company based in South Burlington, Vermont, operating multiple venue spaces including the Ballroom and Showcase Lounge at its main location and the Shakedown Lounge at Stowe Cider. The company produces and promotes live concerts across genres, with online ticket sales via the SeeTickets platform, and partners with regional venues for larger-capacity shows. Higher Ground also runs the HG Presents series, curating higher-profile artist events across Vermont and the broader Northeast.
Is Higher Ground a public or private company?
Higher Ground is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Higher Ground founded?
Higher Ground was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Higher Ground based?
Higher Ground is headquartered in South Burlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Higher Ground make money?
One revenue line is on record: ticket Sales.
Who are Higher Ground's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Paradise Rock Club, The Sinclair, 9:30 Club, Tipitina's, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Stone Pony and Toad's Place. Broad incumbents are Bowery Presents (AEG), House of Blues and I.M.P. (9:30 Club / The Anthem operator).
Does Higher Ground have an API?
No public API is recorded for Higher Ground.
What industry is Higher Ground in?
Higher Ground's product category is Live Music Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAFAB, Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas), with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 5810.