Look and Listen
Look and Listen was a 501(c)(3) non-profit that ran the annual Look + Listen Festival in New York City from 2002 to 2022, presenting contemporary music in partner art galleries free of charge. It served general audiences, emerging composers, and NYC galleries, and was funded through donations, foundation grants, and public arts funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Look and Listen does
Look and Listen, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operated the annual Look + Listen Festival, a contemporary music showcase held in visual art spaces throughout New York City from 2002 to 2022. Founded by David Gordon after hearing a Joan Tower concert at DIA Center, the festival presented hundreds of musicians across dozens of partner galleries (including BRIC House, The Invisible Dog Art Center, Chelsea Art Museum, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, and Robert Miller Gallery), pairing live contemporary music with visual art in intimate, accessible settings. Additional programs included the annual Composers Competition (open-call with a cash prize and guaranteed Festival performance), commissioned works for emerging composers, the standing Composers Collective of advisory composers, and an archive of professionally recorded concerts since 2010 distributed via WQXR/Q2 Music and SoundCloud. The 2020-2021 period saw a pivot to a virtual "At Home Edition" with mail-based multimedia experiences such as "Dear Nancine" and "lull, a sleep temple."
The business model was a non-donation model: every festival event was free to attend, with no ticket revenue. Funding came from individual tax-deductible donations, foundation grants (Aaron Copland Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, BMI Foundation, New Music USA, Edward T. Cone Foundation), public arts funding (NYSCA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs), and modest corporate sponsorship (Pinnacle Prep). The organization operated with a lean staff of approximately 10, including an Executive Director (Grace Parisi), Development Manager (Sara Heaton), and a Board of Directors led by David Gordon (Chair) and Amanda Cooper (President). Headquarters were at 609 Warren Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. In May 2022, after 20 years, the organization concluded with a farewell concert and announced the end of the festival, citing the maturation of contemporary music performance beyond the traditional concert hall and the structural difficulty of sustaining the volunteer- and grant-dependent model.
Look and Listen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Look and Listen
- Legal name
- Look and Listen, Inc.
- Website
- https://lookandlisten.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Look and Listen was a 501(c)(3) non-profit that ran the annual Look + Listen Festival in New York City from 2002 to 2022, presenting contemporary music in partner art galleries free of charge. It served general audiences, emerging composers, and NYC galleries, and was funded through donations, foundation grants, and public arts funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Look and Listen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Music Festival
- NAICS
- Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Concerts & Music Festivals (Livestreamed Performances) (MPAGAOAD)
Keywords
Where Look and Listen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Look and Listen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals through PayPal or check, categorized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
- Foundation and Institutional Funding: Grants and funding from public agencies (NYSCA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs) and private foundations (Aaron Copland Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, BMI Foundation, New Music USA, Edward T. Cone Foundation).
- Corporate Sponsorship: Support from corporations such as Pinnacle Prep (Jen + David Gordon).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free admission to all festival events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Look and Listen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Look and Listen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that produced the annual Look + Listen Festival in New York City, showcasing contemporary music in visual art spaces throughout the city. The festival offered free concerts by emerging and established musicians, premieres of commissioned works, and an annual Composers Competition, operating from 2002 until its farewell in 2022.
Product overview
Look + Listen is a non-profit organization operating a single unified product: the annual Look + Listen Festival, New York's spring showcase of contemporary music held in visual art spaces. The festival has run since 2002 and concluded in 2022 after 20 years. The core offering centers on the annual festival featuring performances by emerging and established musicians, premieres of commissioned works, and the annual Composers Competition. The organization also maintains audio archives of recorded concerts since 2010 and operated special at-home multimedia experiences during COVID-19. The Composers Collective provides programming guidance and ambient music creation. All festival events are offered free of charge to promote accessibility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Look and Listen
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Look and Listen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Look and Listen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- BRIC HousecorePrimary venue partner for festival opening nights and major concerts. BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn hosted numerous festival events across multiple years.
- The Invisible Dog Art CentercoreKey venue partner in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Hosted final concerts and unusual space-themed performances.
- WQXR/Q2 MusiccoreNew York public radio partnership for broadcasting concert recordings, interviews with artists, and on-demand streaming of festival concerts.
- American Composers ForumcoreCurated the final program of the 2022 festival with large-scale theatrically-oriented pieces.
- Various NYC Galleries and MuseumscorePast venues include Chelsea Art Museum, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, Robert Miller Gallery, Studio Museum in Harlem, Whitebox Art Center, Art In General, OK Harris, Gary Snyder/Project Space, Areté Gallery.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Look and Listen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MATA Festival: Annual NYC contemporary music festival dedicated to young and emerging composers. Closely comparable to Look + Listen in scale, audience, and artist-development mission, including commissioning new works.
- Issue Project Room: Brooklyn-based non-profit presenting experimental music, sound art, and performance in dedicated and partner venues. Overlapping mission around intimate, accessible contemporary music presentation with strong commissioning practice.
- National Sawdust: Brooklyn non-profit venue and presenter focused on contemporary and classical music by living composers. Comparable scale, mission, and NYC location, with a similar emphasis on composer development and accessible programming.
- The Kitchen: Chelsea-based non-profit presenting experimental music, dance, and visual art since 1971. Comparable as a long-running NYC presenter of contemporary work across music and visual art — directly aligned with Look + Listen's music-in-gallery model.
- Bang on a Can: NYC-based non-profit presenting contemporary music across multiple venues, including the annual Bang on a Can Marathon. Direct parallel to Look + Listen as a small-staffed contemporary music presenter serving emerging and established composers in non-traditional spaces.
- Pioneer Works: Brooklyn non-profit multidisciplinary art space presenting music, visual art, and performance in an intimate gallery-like setting. Directly comparable to Look + Listen's music-in-gallery model and community-oriented programming.
- Roulette: Brooklyn-based non-profit presenting experimental music, dance, and intermedia. Comparable as a small-staffed presenter offering multi-genre contemporary performance programming in NYC.
Emerging players
- So Percussion: Brooklyn-based contemporary percussion ensemble with overlapping personnel (Composers Collective member Jason Treuting is a So Percussion co-founder). Comparable in scale and aesthetic positioning, with a stronger touring and education revenue model.
Broad incumbents
- New Music USA: National non-profit funding body supporting new music creation and presentation. A direct funder of Look + Listen via the New Music Organizational Development Fund, serving as an umbrella organization for the field in which Look + Listen operated.
- American Composers Forum: National non-profit supporting new music composers and the organizations that present their work. A direct programmatic partner with Look + Listen (curated the 2022 farewell program) and a funder of contemporary music organizations nationally.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Look and Listen social profiles
Digital presenceLook and Listen compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Look and Listen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Look and Listen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Look and Listen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Look and Listen 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 Look and Listen
What does Look and Listen do?
Look and Listen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that produced the annual Look + Listen Festival in New York City, showcasing contemporary music in visual art spaces throughout the city. The festival offered free concerts by emerging and established musicians, premieres of commissioned works, and an annual Composers Competition, operating from 2002 until its farewell in 2022.
Is Look and Listen a public or private company?
Look and Listen is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Look and Listen founded?
Look and Listen was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Look and Listen based?
Look and Listen is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Look and Listen make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Institutional Funding and corporate Sponsorship.
Who are Look and Listen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MATA Festival, Issue Project Room, National Sawdust, The Kitchen, Bang on a Can, Pioneer Works and Roulette. So Percussion is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are New Music USA and American Composers Forum.
Does Look and Listen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Look and Listen.
What industry is Look and Listen in?
Look and Listen's product category is Contemporary Music Festival. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues, with a secondary code of MPAGAOAD, Virtual Concerts & Music Festivals (Livestreamed Performances). Its NAICS code is 71119 and its SIC code is 7990.