Play On

What Play On does

Play On is a Melbourne-based, independently operated non-profit arts organization founded in November 2016. It curates and presents live music events that pair acclaimed Australian classical musicians with electronic artists in unconventional venues — including the Collingwood Underground Carpark, Collingwood Yards, Grainger Museum, and heritage properties such as Rippon Lea Estate and Labassa Mansion. The organization has produced six main series of events since inception, has staged international events in Berlin, London, Copenhagen, and Vivid Sydney, and operates with a small core team of 12 employees. Its audience is Melbourne-based music enthusiasts and the wider Australian arts community, with additional reach to international visitors through partner festivals.

The company operates an event-driven business model across three revenue streams: ticket sales for live concerts (distributed via Humanitix), digital music sales through its Play On Records label on Bandcamp, and donations. Revenue is supplemented by grants from public arts funders (City of Melbourne, City of Yarra, Creative Partnerships Australia). Beyond events, Play On builds enduring content IP through its "Musicians at Home" editorial photo series and the Play On Collective of curated classical musicians. Distribution and promotion run through Instagram, Facebook, SoundCloud, and an email newsletter. Notable partnerships include Analogue Attic Recordings, National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Grainger Museum, Immigration Museum, and Collingwood Yards, along with sponsorships from Minimum Wines, Mountain Goat Beer, and Heaps Normal.

Play On has no disclosed financial data, no headquarters outside North Carlton/Melbourne, and no identified institutional investors or parent entity. Operationally, it relies on a lean team, venue partnerships, and public-arts funding to sustain programming. Its core product is experiential — live concerts in distinctive settings — and it competes against other Australian promoters and festivals rather than technology platforms. The organization has shown resilience through COVID-19 disruption and remains operational with events scheduled into late 2025.

Name

Play On

Legal name

Play On

Website

https://playonmusic.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Play On is a Melbourne-based non-profit that curates live classical-meets-electronic music events in unconventional venues, serving Australian music enthusiasts and international festival audiences through ticketed concerts, a Bandcamp record label, and commissioned editorial content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Events / Performing Arts Curation

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live music events
• Classical electronic fusion
• Concert curation
• Arts event production
• Independent record label

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for live music events and concerts. Events are promoted through ticketing platforms like Humanitix.
2. Record Label Sales: Revenue from Play On Records label through Bandcamp digital music sales, including albums and singles from collaborating artists.
3. Donations: Donation option available on website for audience support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Play On curates and presents live music events that pair acclaimed classical musicians with electronic artists in non-traditional and heritage venues, primarily in Melbourne with international editions in Berlin, London, Copenhagen, and Sydney. The organization also operates the Play On Records music label, releasing artist recordings via Bandcamp, and produces editorial content such as the Musicians at Home photo series. Revenue is generated through event ticket sales, label sales, and donations.

Product overview

Play On is a live music event company presenting classical meets electronic concert series in unexpected venues. The core offerings include the Play On Concert Series (featuring Series 1-6 and international events in Berlin, London, Copenhagen, and Sydney), the Play On Collective of classical musicians, the Play On Records label for artist releases, and the Musicians at Home editorial content series. The company operates primarily in Melbourne, Australia, with international events in Berlin, London, Copenhagen, and Vivid Sydney.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Play On Records: A record label created by Play On to showcase performing artists on record, releasing albums including 'Cavern' and 'Flashed Glass' by Sleep D x Ad Lib Collective.

Products and services

• Play On Concert Series Recurring live music event series pairing acclaimed classical musicians with electronic artists in unexpected non-traditional venues across Melbourne and internationally (Berlin, London, Copenhagen, Sydney). Ticketed events marketed to general concert audiences.
• Play On Records An independent music label created by Play On to release recordings of performing artists, distributed digitally via Bandcamp. Releases include 'Cavern' and 'Flashed Glass' by Sleep D x Ad Lib Collective.
• Play On Collective A curated collective of Australian classical musicians who perform at Play On events, providing the artistic roster for cross-genre collaborations with electronic artists.
• Musicians at Home A photo and editorial content series visiting featured artists at home or in their studios to discuss creativity, music-making, and their work. Produced by Play On with photographer Alan Weedon.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delighted Melbourne audiences since November 2016

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and minor.

• City of MelbournesupportingOthers · 1 January 2025Supported by City of Melbourne for events including Nick Ashwood performance.
• Grainger MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2024Events held at Grainger Museum, University of Melbourne, with support from the museum for intimate performances in unique heritage settings.
• Collingwood YardscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2021Venue partnership with Collingwood Yards basement venue for intimate shows in 2021.
• City of YarrasupportingOthers · 1 January 2021Funding and support from City of Yarra for events at Collingwood Yards.
• Immigration MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2020Co-presentation of Park Jiha performance as part of Asia TOPA 2020 (a joint initiative of Sidney Myer Fund and Arts Centre Melbourne, supported by Australian and Victorian Governments).
• Analogue Attic RecordingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2019Partnership with Analogue Attic Recordings for classical, ambient and experimental music events. Joint presentations at Rippon Lea Estate and Labassa Mansion, including record collaborations.
• National Trust of Australia (Victoria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2019Partnership for events at National Trust properties including Rippon Lea Estate and Labassa Mansion.
• CLF Art CafésupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 September 2019London venue for Play On's UK debut at 133 Rye Lane, Peckham.
• Apollo BarsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 September 2019Copenhagen venue for Danish debut at Nyhavn 2.
• Cake Wines Cellar DoorsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2018Sydney venue partner for Vivid Sydney events.
• OHM BerlincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 October 2017Venue partnership with OHM Berlin for Play On's international expansion, hosting classical meets electronic events.
• Creative Partnerships AustraliasupportingOthersFunding organization supporting Play On through matched funding programs and creative partnerships.
• Butter SessionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelbourne-based record label collaboration for electronic music releases featuring Sleep D and other artists.
• Minimum WinesminorOthersBeverage sponsorship for Grainger Museum events.
• Mountain Goat BeerminorOthersBeverage sponsorship for Grainger Museum events.
• Heaps NormalminorOthersBeverage sponsorship for Grainger Museum events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Dark Mofo: Tasmania's late-night experimental arts and music festival featuring classical, electronic, and avant-garde programming. Comparable in Australian context as an experimental-music curator, though larger in scale than Play On.
• Melbourne Music Week: City of Melbourne-backed annual music festival that has previously featured Play On. Comparable as a Melbourne-based live music event curator, though broader in scale and genre scope.
• MONA FOMA: Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art's summer festival blending music, art, and performance with classical and electronic crossover. Comparable as an Australian arts-curatorial event, though broader in scope than Play On's focused concerts.

Direct peers

• Unsound: Poland-based experimental music festival featuring classical-electronic crossover artists in club and unconventional settings. Comparable curation model focused on genre-blending experimental programming.
• Bang on a Can: New York-based non-profit that curates boundary-pushing concerts blending classical, electronic, and experimental music in unconventional formats. Closely comparable to Play On's genre-fusion and curation-first philosophy.
• Berlin Atonal: Berlin-based festival dedicated to experimental electronic and contemporary classical-adjacent music in industrial spaces. Comparable in pairing avant-garde classical sensibilities with electronic production in non-traditional venues.
• Analogue Attic Recordings: Australian classical, ambient and experimental music label and event producer that has partnered with Play On at heritage venues. Comparable as both a record label and live event curator in adjacent musical territory.
• Liquid Music: Minnesota-based series that pairs classical musicians with electronic and indie artists in intimate venues. Directly comparable to Play On's classical-meets-electronic-in-unexpected-venues concept.

Emerging players

• Sofar Sounds: Global network producing intimate live music events in unique residential and unconventional spaces. Comparable focus on intimate, non-traditional-venue live music experiences, though broader in genre than Play On's classical-electronic specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Vivid Sydney: Major Sydney arts and music festival that has featured Play On as a programming partner. Comparable as a large-scale curator that has showcased Play On's experimental format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/playonmusicevent
• Instagraminstagram.com/play_on_music
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playonmusic

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 Play On