Soda Bar
Soda Bar is an independently operated 21+ live music venue in San Diego's North Park, founded in 2009 and run by Big Soda LLC, hosting indie, rock, experimental, and alternative acts with bar service, merchandise, and DICE-based ticketing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, New York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Soda Bar does
Soda Bar is a 21-and-over live music venue located in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, California, operated by Big Soda LLC. Founded in 2009, the venue hosts a steady calendar of indie, rock, experimental, and alternative touring acts in a general-admission format, supported by a full bar and on-site merchandise offerings. Ticketing is processed through the DICE platform, which has broadened the venue's reach beyond walk-up and local audiences.
The business operates as a single-location live entertainment venue with revenue generated primarily through ticket sales, bar concessions, and merchandise. Booking is curated around a specific indie/experimental programming identity that has been maintained since the venue's founding, including a flagship multi-day anniversary event first held in October 2019 to mark its 10-year milestone. Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees, consistent with a mix of part-time bar, door, sound, and booking staff supporting nightly operations.
Soda Bar is not a technology or SaaS business; it is a physical hospitality and live entertainment asset. Its strategic surface area is limited to programming choices, partnership-driven ticketing and merchandise channels, and incremental brand activations rather than product, geographic, or platform expansion. Investors should evaluate it as a stable, locally-anchored venue with modest expansion optionality rather than a high-growth operator.
Soda Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Soda Bar
- Legal name
- Big Soda LLC
- Website
- https://sodabarmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Soda Bar is an independently operated 21+ live music venue in San Diego's North Park, founded in 2009 and run by Big Soda LLC, hosting indie, rock, experimental, and alternative acts with bar service, merchandise, and DICE-based ticketing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Soda Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)
Keywords
Where Soda Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn, New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Soda Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Advance tickets sold online via DICE platform; door tickets available if not sold out. Revenue from admission fees for live music shows.
- Bar Sales: Full bar service with alcoholic beverages including beer and cocktails, accepting cash and credit/debit cards at the venue.
- Merchandise Sales: Merchandise sold via sodabarmerch.com website and likely at shows.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Advance tickets via DICE platform |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Door tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Soda Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Soda Bar operates a 21+ general admission live music venue in San Diego, hosting concerts and DJ sets by indie, rock, experimental, and alternative artists in a club setting with professional audio, lighting, and video production. The venue also runs a full bar service offering beer, liquor, and cocktails, and operates an online merchandise store via sodabarmerch.com. Tickets are sold in advance through the DICE platform and at the door, subject to capacity.
Product overview
Soda Bar is a live music venue operated by Big Soda LLC, located in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. The venue operates as a general admission club hosting performances by indie and rock artists, with a full bar service. The company offers a merchandise store for branded merchandise sales. All shows are restricted to patrons 21 years of age or older.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Music Venue Services A 21+ general admission live music venue hosting concerts and DJ sets by indie, rock, experimental, and alternative artists, with no reserved seating and first-come, first-served entry. Open to adults aged 21 and over.
- Bar Services Full bar service offering beer, liquor, and other beverages to venue patrons, accepting cash and credit/debit cards during shows.
- Merchandise Store Online merchandise store operating at sodabarmerch.com selling venue-branded merchandise (and likely artist merchandise) to fans and concertgoers.
Companies that use Soda Bar
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Soda Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
Soda Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DICE (ticketing platform)coreDICE is the ticketing platform powering advance ticket sales for Soda Bar shows. The platform provides listing management, advance ticket purchasing, waiting list functionality for sold-out shows, and mobile ticket delivery via the DICE app. Soda Bar does not accept resold tickets from platforms like StubHub or Seatgeek.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Soda Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Casbah: Long-running independent music venue in San Diego's North Park neighborhood, hosting similar indie/rock acts at a comparable scale. Most direct geographic competitor with overlapping artist rosters and a similar 21+ standing-room format.
- Bottom of the Hill: San Francisco independent mid-size venue known for booking emerging indie and rock acts in a standing-room club format. Highly comparable in scale, programming philosophy, and revenue model (tickets + bar).
- The Echo & Echoplex: Los Angeles mid-size indie venue pair operated by Spaceland Presents, hosting touring indie and rock acts in a similar general-admission format. Closest comparable in format and indie-venue programming model.
- The Independent: San Francisco mid-size indie venue with a comparable general-admission format and a long track record of booking rising indie and rock touring artists. Operationally similar to Soda Bar in scale and programming.
- Belly Up Tavern: Solana Beach (San Diego metro) music venue of comparable mid-size capacity booking indie, rock, and touring artists. Operates as a ticketed live-music venue with full bar service, making it a near-direct operational and market peer.
- Music Hall of Williamsburg: Brooklyn mid-size Bowery Presents venue booking indie and rock touring acts in a similar general-admission club format. Comparable in capacity, programming, and ticket-plus-bar revenue mix.
- Cat's Cradle: Long-running Chapel Hill, NC independent mid-size venue hosting indie, rock, and alternative touring acts. Comparable venue in scale, programming niche, and decades-long brand history.
- The Irenic: San Diego independent venue presenting indie and alternative touring acts in a similar mid-size, standing-room format. Local competitor with overlapping programming and customer base.
Emerging players
- Saturn: Birmingham, AL mid-size independent venue/record store hybrid hosting indie and touring acts in a comparable mid-size format. Similar programming model though smaller scale and earlier-stage market presence.
Broad incumbents
- First Avenue & 7th St Entry: Iconic Minneapolis mid-to-large independent venue complex hosting a wide range of touring acts including indie and rock. Larger and more established than Soda Bar, but the 7th St Entry room offers a directly comparable indie-room format.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Soda Bar social profiles
Digital presenceSoda Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Soda Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Soda Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Soda Bar 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 Soda Bar
What does Soda Bar do?
Soda Bar operates a 21+ general admission live music venue in San Diego, hosting concerts and DJ sets by indie, rock, experimental, and alternative artists in a club setting with professional audio, lighting, and video production. The venue also runs a full bar service offering beer, liquor, and cocktails, and operates an online merchandise store via sodabarmerch.com. Tickets are sold in advance through the DICE platform and at the door, subject to capacity.
Is Soda Bar a public or private company?
Soda Bar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Soda Bar founded?
Soda Bar was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Soda Bar based?
Soda Bar is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Soda Bar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are bar Sales and merchandise Sales.
Who are Soda Bar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Casbah, Bottom of the Hill, The Echo & Echoplex, The Independent, Belly Up Tavern, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Cat's Cradle and The Irenic. Saturn is listed as an emerging player. First Avenue & 7th St Entry is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Soda Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Soda Bar.
What industry is Soda Bar in?
Soda Bar's product category is Live Music Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANACAH, Live Music Bars & Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.