What Whirling Tiger does

Whirling Tiger, formally operating as The Whirling Tiger, is an independently owned live music venue and event space located at 1335 Story Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky's Butchertown neighborhood, minutes from downtown and near the NULU district. The venue operates out of a late-1800s building that retains exposed brick and 18th-century archways, with a layout spanning four first-floor areas, a second-floor loft, and a separate front lounge that functions as a 7-day-a-week neighborhood bar.

The company's core product is live event programming: it hosts hundreds of local, regional, and nationally touring artists annually across genres (indie, punk, Americana, tribute acts), alongside film screenings (Louisville Indie Film Festival), live podcast recordings, comedy, dance parties, and community or political fundraisers. Age policies vary by event (all-ages, 18+, or 21+). Underlying technology is conventional: the venue runs an event-driven marketing and ticketing stack built around its own website (with accessibility tooling such as text resizing, grayscale, and high-contrast modes) and ETIX.com as the primary third-party ticketing platform; no mobile app, API, SDK, or AI components are disclosed.

Whirling Tiger earns revenue through three streams: (1) ticket sales, predominantly GA tickets priced between roughly $5 and $55 for most shows and up to $111.65 for premium/VIP packages, sold online via website/ETIX.com and at the door (cards incur a 4% fee); (2) bar and concession sales from the front lounge and event bar service; and (3) private event rentals for weddings, corporate events, and holiday parties, booked via a dedicated [email protected] channel and inclusive of production, bar, and security staff. Programming is sourced primarily through Pretty Good Concerts as core promoter, supplemented by Terry Harper Presents, Bowe Inc & Reaction, Louisville Punk Rock Night, and a co-presentation relationship with WFPK community radio. The venue is privately held, with no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or institutional investors.

Name

Whirling Tiger

Legal name

The Whirling Tiger

Website

https://thewhirlingtiger.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whirling Tiger is an independently owned live music venue and event space in Louisville, KY's Butchertown neighborhood, hosting touring and local artists, film, podcast, and private events, with bar service and ticketing via ETIX.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue & Event Space

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Concert events
• Private event rentals
• Music entertainment
• Neighborhood bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for concerts, live events, film screenings, podcast recordings, and other programming. Tickets sold in advance through website/ETIX.com and at the door day-of-show.
2. Bar and Concessions: Front lounge operates as a neighborhood bar open 7 days a week. Alcohol sales including beer, wine, and spirits. Non-alcoholic beverages also available. Card purchases incur 4% fee.
3. Private Event Rentals: Revenue from renting venue space for private events including weddings, corporate events, holiday parties, and other celebrations. Venue provides full production, bar service, and security staff for rental events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Whirling Tiger is a live music venue and event space in Louisville, KY that hosts hundreds of local, regional, and nationally touring artists annually across genres including punk, indie, and Americana, plus film screenings (e.g., Louisville Indie Film Festival), podcast recordings, comedy shows, and dance parties. The venue also rents its historic late-1800s building for weddings, corporate events, holiday parties, and community fundraisers, with full production, bar service, and security staff provided, and operates a seven-day-a-week front lounge neighborhood bar.

Product overview

Whirling Tiger is a live music venue and event space in Louisville, KY offering two core services: concert and live events programming (featuring local, regional, and national touring artists across genres), and private event space rental for weddings, corporate events, and holiday parties. The venue also operates a front lounge as a neighborhood bar. The venue is located in the Butchertown neighborhood at 1335 Story Avenue and is open 7 days a week.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Concert and Live Events Venue A live music venue in Louisville, KY hosting local, regional, and nationally touring artists across genres. The venue operates as an all-ages, 18+, or 21+ venue depending on the event, with tickets sold through the venue website and ETIX.com and at the box office on the day of show.
• Private Event Space Rental Rentable event space for holiday parties, weddings, corporate events, and other private gatherings. The venue features exposed brick, archways from the 18th century, four distinct areas on the first floor, and a loft area on the second floor, with full production, bar service, and security staff provided.
• Front Lounge Neighborhood Bar An independently operating neighborhood bar open to the public seven days a week, featuring cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. Entry requires being 21+ unless attending an 18+ or All Ages show; card purchases incur a 4% processing fee.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ETIX.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary ticketing platform partner for all venue events. Tickets for all Whirling Tiger shows available through ETIX.com. Venue notes that tickets not purchased directly from website or ETIX.com are not guaranteed to be valid.
• WFPKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLouisville community radio station that partners with venue to present select events. Example: WFPK Presents Jukebox the Ghost Variety Show Spectacular.
• Terry Harper PresentsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal promoter/presenter that brings events to the venue. Example: The Millionaire$ MY SWEET 16 TOUR (Part 2) presented by Terry Harper.
• Pretty Good ConcertscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary booking promoter for venue. Handles booking inquiries via [email protected]. Presents multiple events including Tristen and Pink Talking Fish.
• Bowe Inc & ReactionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPromoter/presenter for venue events. Example: JMSN Scared Straight Tour Pt 4 presented by Bowe Inc & Reaction.
• Locals for LiberationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal community organization that hosts fundraising events at venue. Example: Fundraising party for Shameka Parrish-Wright's mayoral campaign.
• Louisville Punk Rock NightminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal promoter focused on punk rock events. Example: Supersuckers with The Rumours and Indignant Few presented by Louisville Punk Rock Night.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Headliners Music Hall: Long-established Louisville live music venue presenting national touring acts with similar ticketing and bar revenue mechanics. Competes for the same artist routing, promoter relationships, and Louisville live-music audience as Whirling Tiger.
• Brooklyn Bowl: Multi-location music venue/bowling alley hybrid that combines ticketed concerts, full bar, food service, and private events. Compares to Whirling Tiger on the music-plus-bar-plus-private-event business model, with broader scale and additional venue offerings.
• Mercury Ballroom: Louisville-based live music venue operated by AEG Presents, hosting touring national acts in an intimate room. Directly comparable to Whirling Tiger in city, business model (ticket + bar revenue), and target market (touring indie/alternative acts), though backed by a major promoter.
• Tipitina's: Iconic New Orleans live music venue and neighborhood bar presenting touring and local acts with bar/concessions revenue. Closely mirrors Whirling Tiger's diversified ticket-plus-bar-plus-private-rentals model with a strong independent brand.
• First Avenue & 7th St Entry: Long-running Minneapolis independent music venue complex operating ticketed concerts with full bar service in multiple rooms. Closely parallels Whirling Tiger's independent multi-night ticketed music plus bar model, with a longer operating history and brand recognition.
• Zanzabar: Louisvenue bar/music venue that combines a neighborhood bar with ticketed live music and game-room entertainment. Closely matches Whirling Tiger's hybrid bar-plus-music venue model in the same city and audience.
• Mercy Lounge / The Basement: Nashville-based independent live music venues presenting touring indie/alternative acts with full bar service in intimate rooms. Closely mirrors Whirling Tiger's format, scale, and multi-night programming density, though in a larger market.

Regional players

• Old Rock House: St. Louis live music venue and bar operating in a historic building with similar indie/touring-act programming and bar-driven revenue. Comparable mid-size-market, historic-building, indie-venue economics in a neighboring regional market.
• The Burl: Independent live music venue and bar in Lexington, KY that hosts touring and local acts with a similar promoter-driven calendar. Operates in an adjacent Kentucky metro with comparable mid-size-market live-music economics.

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: Largest venue operators/promoter in the U.S., operating theaters, clubs, and arenas across multiple markets including Louisville. Comparable as a venue operator/promoter whose scale, promoter relationships, and ticketing infrastructure set the competitive backdrop for independent venues like Whirling Tiger.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WhirlingTIger
• Instagraminstagram.com/whirlingtiger

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 Whirling Tiger