Blues Alley

What Blues Alley does

Blues Alley is a privately-held jazz supper club located at 1073 Rear Wisconsin Ave NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C., founded in 1965 and operating continuously for 61 years out of an 18th-century red brick carriage house. The venue, which holds 150 guests and runs nightly shows (7pm and 9:30pm Monday-Saturday; 5:30pm and 8pm Sunday), pairs live jazz performances — featuring both internationally renowned and local artists — with an in-house restaurant offering Creole cuisine, steak, and seafood under a $15 per-person food and beverage minimum. Its service portfolio includes live performance ticketing (processed via InstantSeats with a $7 service fee), branded merchandise (t-shirts, sweatshirts, accessories, glassware, sold via phone/email), and a Blues Alley Entertainment division that books live jazz for private and corporate functions through an online inquiry form.

The business has no proprietary technology platform, no software stack, and no AI or machine-learning components; operations and booking are handled through the Wix-hosted website, phone, and in-person box office. GTM is direct-to-consumer across three ticket-purchase channels (online, phone, in-person) plus an inbound private-events channel. The company maintains an extensive preferred-partner network (hotels in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Virginia, and the Caribbean; embassies; broadcast, journalism, radio, photography, instrument, transportation, academic, community, and festival partners) and operates an affiliated non-profit, the Blues Alley Jazz Society, focused on jazz preservation and education.

The revenue model is a multi-stream service business: nightly transactional ticket sales, mandatory per-cover F&B minimums, low-volume branded merchandise sales, and custom-quoted private event entertainment. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; ancillary pricing signals include the flat $7 ticketing fee and student pricing (half off 9:30pm sets Sunday-Thursday, in-person with valid ID). Customers are predominantly individual jazz enthusiasts and fine-dining patrons plus a secondary segment of private/corporate event organizers, with no disclosed enterprise or recurring contract revenue.

Name

Blues Alley

Legal name

Blues Alley Jazz

Website

https://bluesalley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Blues Alley is a Washington D.C. jazz supper club, founded in 1965 in Georgetown, serving nightly live jazz performances alongside Creole cuisine to urban patrons, jazz enthusiasts, tourists, and private event clients through a 150-seat historic venue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue / Jazz Supper Club

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)

Keywords

• Jazz supper club
• Live jazz performances
• Creole cuisine dining
• Private event entertainment
• Live music venue

Headquarters

HQ city

S Central Washington Co

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Live Performance Tickets: Ticket sales for nightly jazz performances with $7 service fee per ticket. Shows at 7pm and 9:30pm (Mon-Sat) and 5:30pm and 8pm (Sunday).
2. Food and Beverage: Restaurant service featuring authentic Creole cuisine, steak, and seafood. $15 food/beverage minimum per person required.
3. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25-$30), sweatshirts ($40-$50), accessories, and commemorative items. Purchases made by phone or email.
4. Private Event Entertainment: Blues Alley Entertainment division provides live jazz entertainment for private events. Event inquiry form available on website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blues Alley operates a 150-seat jazz supper club in Georgetown, Washington D.C., presenting nightly live jazz performances by internationally renowned artists alongside an à la carte Creole, steak, and seafood restaurant service. The venue sells tickets through InstantSeats and its box office, enforces a $15 per-person food and beverage minimum, and offers branded merchandise and private-event entertainment through its Blues Alley Entertainment division. The business is supported by an affiliated non-profit, Blues Alley Jazz Society, focused on jazz education and preservation.

Product overview

Blues Alley operates as a single unified jazz supper club offering live jazz performances as its core entertainment product alongside Creole cuisine dining. The company also offers merchandise and event entertainment services under the Blues Alley Entertainment brand, with a non-profit arm called the Blues Alley Jazz Society. The product portfolio is not a platform architecture but rather a lifestyle/hospitality offering centered on the jazz club experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blues Alley Entertainment: Event entertainment services providing live music for private events and corporate functions
• Blues Alley Jazz Society

Products and services

• Live Jazz Shows Nightly live jazz performances by internationally renowned artists and local talent in an intimate 1920s-30s style supper club atmosphere; shows run multiple times per evening, seven days per week, with a $7 per-ticket service fee.
• Creole Cuisine, Steak, and Seafood Dining Authentic Creole cuisine paired with steak and seafood dishes served seven days a week as a complement to the jazz experience, with a $15 per-person food/beverage minimum.
• Blues Alley Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25-$30), sweatshirts ($40-$50), caps, mugs, tote bags, glassware, keychains, and commemorative items purchased via phone or email.
• Blues Alley Entertainment (Private Event Entertainment) Provision of live jazz music entertainment for private events and corporate functions through a dedicated entertainment division, booked via an online inquiry form.

Quantifiable outcome

• Venue capacity: 150 guests per show
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• The Graham Hotel (Georgetown)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred Hotel Partner providing accommodations for out-of-town guests. Contact: Susana Espinoza 202.625.5409.
• Georgetown Inn (Georgetown)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred Hotel Partner offering accommodations for Blues Alley patrons. Contact: Michael Winberg [email protected].
• Arlington Courts (Virginia)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred Hotel Partner in Virginia for extended-stay guests. Contact: Priscilla Dietrick 703.247.1003.
• Washington Hilton (Dupont Circle)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred Hotel Partner for larger corporate events. Contact: Denise Kee 202.304.7208.
• Glover Park (Georgetown)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred Hotel Partner in Georgetown. Contact: Susana Espinoza 202.625.5409.
• Preferred Caribbean Hotel PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed Caribbean hotel partner for international guest accommodations.
• Preferred Broadcast PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed broadcast partner for media coverage and visibility.
• Preferred Journalism PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed journalism partner for media coverage.
• Preferred Domestic Festival PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed domestic festival partner.
• Preferred International Festival PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed international festival partner for cross-promotional events.
• Preferred Transportation PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed transportation partner for guest logistics.
• Preferred Instrument PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed instrument partner for equipment support.
• Preferred Photography PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed photography partner for visual documentation.
• Preferred Radio PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed radio partner for audio broadcast coverage.
• Preferred Academic PartnerssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed academic institution partners for educational programs and talent development.
• Preferred Community PartnersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerUnnamed community partner for local engagement.
• Embassy PartnerssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with multiple embassies to bring diverse cultures within the jazz world. Includes embassies from various countries with logos displayed on the partners page.
• Blues Alley Jazz SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated non-profit organization supporting jazz preservation and education. Visit bluesalley.org for more information.
• InstantSeatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSole ticketing provider for Blues Alley performances. Customers directed to InstantSeats for online ticket purchases. $7 service fee per ticket.
• Georgetown Park ParkingminorOthersPaid parking available at Georgetown Park 1092 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC, 20007 for venue patrons.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Howard Theatre: Historic Washington D.C. theater hosting live performances including jazz, R&B, and comedy. Comparable as a historic DC live entertainment venue with food and beverage service.
• The Hamilton Live: Washington D.C. live music and dining venue near the White House. Comparable as a DC-based live music venue combining entertainment with full restaurant service, though broader in programming beyond jazz.

Direct peers

• Dizzy's Club: Jazz at Lincoln Center's jazz club offering nightly performances with dining. Comparable as a dedicated jazz venue pairing live performance with curated food and beverage.
• Village Vanguard: Iconic NYC jazz club operating since 1935 with a similar intimate basement venue model featuring nightly live jazz performances. Direct comparable as a historic, single-location dedicated jazz club with decades-long brand recognition.
• City Winery: Multi-location music venue and restaurant combining intimate live performances with full dining and wine service. Comparable as a supper-club-style live music and dining hybrid operator.
• Birdland Jazz Club: NYC-based jazz club with dinner service and nightly performances. Operates a similar model combining live jazz entertainment with full dining experience in an intimate venue setting.
• Cafe Carlyle: Legendary NYC supper club inside The Carlyle hotel featuring cabaret and jazz performances with dining. Comparable as a long-running, prestigious intimate supper club format combining live music with fine dining.
• Smoke Jazz Club: NYC supper club featuring jazz performances alongside dinner service. Comparable as a small-format jazz venue with combined dining and live music offering.
• Joe's Pub: NYC intimate live music venue with food and drink service, hosting jazz, cabaret, and singer-songwriter performances. Comparable as a small-format supper-club-style live music and dining venue.
• Blue Note Jazz Club: Premier international jazz venue chain with dining service, featuring top-tier jazz artists in a supper-club format. Direct comparable as a jazz venue combining live performance with food and beverage service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDcnWyTeVmzMY1FOdByU_5g
• Facebookfacebook.com/bluesalley
• Instagraminstagram.com/bluesalleydc
• Xx.com/bluesalley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blues-alley-jazz-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Blues Alley