Blues Alley
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersS Central Washington Co, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
Blues Alley firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Blues Alley industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Blues Alley is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- S Central Washington Co
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blues Alley business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- 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).
- Food and Beverage: Restaurant service featuring authentic Creole cuisine, steak, and seafood. $15 food/beverage minimum per person required.
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($25-$30), sweatshirts ($40-$50), accessories, and commemorative items. Purchases made by phone or email.
- Private Event Entertainment: Blues Alley Entertainment division provides live jazz entertainment for private events. Event inquiry form available on website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Performance Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Food and Beverage Minimum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student Discount |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Dinner Package |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Blues Alley product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Blues Alley
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blues Alley technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Blues Alley partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- The Graham Hotel (Georgetown)corePreferred Hotel Partner providing accommodations for out-of-town guests. Contact: Susana Espinoza 202.625.5409.
- Georgetown Inn (Georgetown)corePreferred Hotel Partner offering accommodations for Blues Alley patrons. Contact: Michael Winberg [email protected].
- Arlington Courts (Virginia)secondaryPreferred Hotel Partner in Virginia for extended-stay guests. Contact: Priscilla Dietrick 703.247.1003.
- Washington Hilton (Dupont Circle)secondaryPreferred Hotel Partner for larger corporate events. Contact: Denise Kee 202.304.7208.
- Glover Park (Georgetown)corePreferred Hotel Partner in Georgetown. Contact: Susana Espinoza 202.625.5409.
- Preferred Caribbean Hotel PartnersecondaryUnnamed Caribbean hotel partner for international guest accommodations.
- Preferred Broadcast PartnersecondaryUnnamed broadcast partner for media coverage and visibility.
- Preferred Journalism PartnersecondaryUnnamed journalism partner for media coverage.
- Preferred Domestic Festival PartnersecondaryUnnamed domestic festival partner.
- Preferred International Festival PartnersecondaryUnnamed international festival partner for cross-promotional events.
- Preferred Transportation PartnersecondaryUnnamed transportation partner for guest logistics.
- Preferred Instrument PartnersecondaryUnnamed instrument partner for equipment support.
- Preferred Photography PartnersecondaryUnnamed photography partner for visual documentation.
- Preferred Radio PartnersecondaryUnnamed radio partner for audio broadcast coverage.
- Preferred Academic PartnerssecondaryUnnamed academic institution partners for educational programs and talent development.
- Preferred Community PartnersecondaryUnnamed community partner for local engagement.
- Embassy PartnerssecondaryPartnership 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 SocietycoreAssociated non-profit organization supporting jazz preservation and education. Visit bluesalley.org for more information.
- InstantSeatscoreSole ticketing provider for Blues Alley performances. Customers directed to InstantSeats for online ticket purchases. $7 service fee per ticket.
- Georgetown Park ParkingminorPaid parking available at Georgetown Park 1092 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC, 20007 for venue patrons.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blues Alley competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional 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
Blues Alley social profiles
Digital presenceBlues Alley financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blues Alley leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Blues Alley subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Blues Alley funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blues Alley 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 Blues Alley
What does Blues Alley do?
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.
Is Blues Alley a public or private company?
Blues Alley is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Blues Alley founded?
Blues Alley was founded in 1965.
Where is Blues Alley based?
Blues Alley is headquartered in S Central Washington Co, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blues Alley make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Live Performance Tickets are the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage, merchandise and private Event Entertainment.
Who are Blues Alley's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Howard Theatre and The Hamilton Live. Direct peers are Dizzy's Club, Village Vanguard, City Winery, Birdland Jazz Club, Cafe Carlyle, Smoke Jazz Club, Joe's Pub and Blue Note Jazz Club.
Does Blues Alley have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blues Alley.
What industry is Blues Alley in?
Blues Alley's product category is Live Music Venue / Jazz Supper Club. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues, with a secondary code of CRANACAH, Live Music Bars & Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.