The Living Earth Show

What The Living Earth Show does

The Living Earth Show is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 46-2661958) founded in 2011 in San Francisco by electric guitarist Travis Andrews (Executive Director) and percussionist Andy Meyerson (Artistic Director). The organization commissions, produces, and performs experimental chamber music projects, building multidisciplinary productions that integrate live guitar and percussion with dance, film, and visual art. It operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees plus per-production collaborators, serving contemporary classical audiences, multidisciplinary art enthusiasts, and LGBTQ+ communities, with an explicit mission of foregrounding composers and performers from groups historically marginalized within classical music institutions.

The organization's core production platform is the guitar-and-percussion duo, augmented by multimedia elements including projected film, contemporary dance (notably through long-standing partner Post:ballet), and immersive spatial audio using Meyer Sound's Spacemap Go technology (deployed in the Lyra production). It has built integrated infrastructure across three wholly-owned operating units: TLES Productions (production company), Earthy Records (in-house record label launched in 2022), and The Roar Shack (experimental performance venue opened in 2023 in San Francisco's Mid-Market district). The catalog includes at least five album releases and 15+ commissioned productions, including collaborations with Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellow Raven Chacon and composers such as Samuel Adams, Sarah Hennies, M. Lamar, Danny Clay, and Ellen Fullman. Performances span U.S. and international venues including the Rewire Festival (Netherlands), Big Ears Festival, SXSW, Spoleto Festival USA, 92nd Street Y, The Met Cloisters, and Davies Symphony Hall.

The Living Earth Show's revenue model is a multi-stream nonprofit construct. Primary revenue derives from tax-deductible donations (one-time gifts and monthly subscriptions), ticket sales (sliding scale Free-$60 for events such as The First Light Sessions, $40 general admission for Lyra at 92NY), performance commissions from presenting institutions and festivals, and merchandise sales including CDs ($7-$12), hats ($25), and specialty items such as the Music for Hard Times handmade hardcover zine ($39). Distribution occurs through the Roar Shack venue, festival and institutional touring, Bandcamp for digital music, the organization's own website for merchandise, and Eventbrite for ticketing. Customer/presenter relationships include the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Kronos Quartet, 92nd Street Y, Washington University in St. Louis, and university residencies at Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Maryland.

Name

The Living Earth Show

Legal name

The Living Earth Show

Website

https://thelivingearthshow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Living Earth Show is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that commissions and performs experimental chamber music blending guitar and percussion with dance, film, and spatial audio, serving contemporary classical audiences via touring, its venue, and record label.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experimental Chamber Music

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Record Production and Distribution (512250), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Experimental chamber music
• Contemporary classical ensemble
• Multimedia music productions
• Music commissioning services
• Live chamber performances

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 46-2661958), The Living Earth Show relies on tax-deductible donations from supporters to cover operating costs. They accept both one-time gifts and monthly subscriptions.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of CDs, vinyl, merchandise (hats, apparel), and specialty items like the Music for Hard Times handmade hardcover zine.
3. Ticket Sales: Revenue from live performances at their Roar Shack Live! venue and touring engagements at various festivals and venues.
4. Performance Commissions: The organization creates commissioned works for various presenters and institutions, generating revenue through artistic commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Living Earth Show commissions, produces, and performs experimental chamber music projects, combining a guitar/percussion duo (Travis Andrews and Andy Meyerson) with dance, film, and visual art. Output is delivered as live performances at their own venue (The Roar Shack Live!) and through touring at festivals and presenter venues, as audio recordings released on their in-house Earthy Records label, and as commissioned multimedia productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roar Shack Live! Season Performances Live experimental chamber music performances programmed as a season at The Roar Shack venue, featuring The Living Earth Show duo with guest composers and collaborators; aimed at contemporary classical and multidisciplinary art audiences in the Bay Area.
• Festival and Venue Touring Performances Touring live performances of commissioned and repertoire chamber works at festivals (Big Ears, Rewire, SXSW, Spoleto Festival USA) and presenter venues including 92nd Street Y (New York), The Met Cloisters, and Washington University in St. Louis.
• Performance Commissions Commissioning and creation of new multimedia chamber music works from contemporary composers, delivered through co-productions with dance, film, and visual art collaborators; offered to presenters, festivals, and educational institutions.
• Chamber Music Album Recordings Audio recordings of commissioned and repertoire chamber works released on Bandcamp (tles.bandcamp.com) and as physical CDs; available to individual music listeners and collectors.
• Earthy Records Label Releases Album releases on The Living Earth Show's in-house label Earthy Records, stewarding composers' artistic visions from conception through recording, mixing, mastering, and distribution; released on Bandcamp and digital platforms.
• Merchandise and Specialty Items Direct-to-consumer physical merchandise including branded apparel (e.g., TLES hat), physical CDs of recordings, and specialty items such as the Music for Hard Times handmade hardcover zine.
• Trust Me — Why I Like Dead Guys Album Debut album by Trust Me (a satellite project featuring Lynn Breedlove with Travis Andrews and Andy Meyerson) released on Earthy Records and digital platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the premiere contemporary chamber ensembles in the United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 836MminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Venue and organization that made possible the Pamela Z & The Living Earth Show collaboration.
• Post:balletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with contemporary dance company Post:ballet, including co-productions such as Lyra. One of the organization's most influential collaborators, having performed dozens of shows together and built evening-length productions. Post:ballet's final production was in 2025.
• Samuel AdamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComposer whose work has been featured in multiple productions including Lyra. Adams released his debut album 'Lyra' on Earthy Records.
• Raven ChaconcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPulitzer Prize-winning composer and MacArthur Fellow who has collaborated on multiple productions including Tremble Staves and Lazyhorse. Nearly decade-long collaboration with The Living Earth Show.
• M. LamarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComposer whose work Lordship & Bondage: The Birth of the Negro Superman was performed in collaboration with The Living Earth Show at The Met Cloisters and other venues.
• Ellen FullmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComposer of Long String Instrument works including 'Elemental View,' a collaboration commissioned with support from Gerbode Foundation.
• Danny ClaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComposer who collaborated on 'Music for Hard Times,' an eight-movement experimental work created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work has been performed across the country in educational settings.
• Sarah HenniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComposer of 'A Kind of Ache' installation and concert work, and 'Extra Time' album with Andy Meyerson.
• Washington University in St. LouisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution presenting Lyra production featuring music by Samuel Adams and movement by Post:ballet.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble): Flexible contemporary chamber ensemble performing and commissioning new work with strong recording output. Comparable to TLES in small-ensemble contemporary chamber model and label-adjacent recording approach.
• Roomful of Teeth: Vocal ensemble commissioning and performing new experimental vocal works, with strong recording output and MacArthur-recognized collaborators (including Raven Chacon). Comparable to TLES in commissioning-first contemporary ensemble model and Pulitzer-tier collaborator relationships.
• International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE): Flexible contemporary chamber ensemble commissioning and performing new work from living composers with international touring. Closely comparable to TLES in ensemble-led contemporary chamber model, though ICE operates at larger ensemble scale.
• Eighth Blackbird: Award-winning sextet that commissions, performs, and tours contemporary chamber music with multidisciplinary staging elements. Directly comparable to TLES in small-ensemble contemporary performance, commissioning approach, and multimedia ambitions.
• Alarm Will Sound: Contemporary chamber ensemble commissioning and performing new music with strong recording output. Comparable to TLES in combining commissioning, touring, and recording with an emphasis on boundary-pushing repertoire.
• yMusic: Brooklyn-based contemporary chamber sextet commissioning works from living composers across classical, indie, and pop. Comparable to TLES in ensemble-led commissioning of experimental work, though more crossover-oriented commercially.
• Bang on a Can: Multi-ensemble presenting organization producing and touring experimental/contemporary music, including the Bang on a Can All-Stars and the annual Marathon concert. Directly comparable to TLES in its commissioning, touring, and label-adjacent infrastructure for non-commercial contemporary work.
• Brooklyn Rider: String quartet commissioning and performing contemporary and experimental chamber music with crossover reach. Comparable to TLES in ensemble-led commissioning, recording, and touring of contemporary work.

Broad incumbents

• Silkroad Ensemble: Multidisciplinary ensemble founded by Yo-Yo Ma commissioning cross-cultural contemporary work with dance, film, and visual art elements. Comparable to TLES in multidisciplinary commissioning ambitions and major institutional backing, though Silkroad operates at significantly larger scale.
• Kronos Quartet: Long-established string quartet that commissions and performs contemporary and experimental chamber music worldwide. TLES has a direct commissioning/performance relationship with Kronos and operates in the same contemporary-classical commissioning niche, though Kronos is far larger and more institutionalized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-living-earth-show

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 The Living Earth Show