The Lyric Oxford Theater

What The Lyric Oxford Theater does

The Lyric Oxford Theater is a privately held live music venue and private event space operating from a restored historic theater at 1006 Van Buren Avenue in downtown Oxford, Mississippi. Originally built in the late 1800s as a livery stable, the building was owned by William Faulkner's family, converted to a theater in the 1920s, and operated as a movie house until the 1970s. After decades of disuse and a brief conversion to offices and residences, the venue underwent an extensive 2007 restoration and reopened on July 3, 2008. The business is structured around two integrated revenue streams: ticketed public concerts (prices ranging from $25 to $217) and private event rentals that include weddings, corporate meetings, fundraisers, speaking events, and after-parties with bundled services (security, sound production, bartenders, cleaning, and event management).

The venue's physical infrastructure is a key competitive asset. The 32ft x 20ft x 4ft stage with extensive wing and rigging capabilities is supported by professional-grade AV equipment typically found in much larger venues: an L-Acoustics house speaker system (Kiva ii line arrays, SB15 subs, L-Acoustics front/center fills), Midas Pro 2 front-of-house and Pro 1 monitor consoles, and Chamsys MQ50 lighting control. Back-of-house facilities include green rooms with kitchenettes, hard floors, and 15-foot ceilings. The 2020 refresh added multiple bars and updated sound systems, expanding the venue's capacity for high-production private events alongside public concerts.

Commercial operations are lean, with 1-10 employees and a named management team of four (Lindsay Dillon-Maginnis for venue/production, Scott Caradine for talent buying, Bradley Bishop for contracts/settlement, and Winn McElroy as lighting director). Distribution is handled through exclusive partnerships with Seetickets and Eventim for ticketing and Live Nation as a concert promoter, with marketing driven by the venue's website, email newsletter, and organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X). The customer base spans concert-goers, Ole Miss alumni/community groups, wedding parties, corporate planners, and nonprofit organizations, with no disclosed funding, parent company, or institutional ownership.

Name

The Lyric Oxford Theater

Legal name

The Lyric Theatre

Website

https://thelyricoxford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lyric Oxford Theater is a privately held, historic live music venue and private event space in downtown Oxford, Mississippi. It serves concert-goers, wedding parties, corporate planners, and community organizations with professional-grade audio/lighting production and bundled event services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert Venue Operators (Arenas, Amphitheaters, Clubs) (MPAGAAAC), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Concert event hosting
• Private event rentals
• Wedding reception venue
• Theater sound production

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from concert and event ticket sales through Seetickets and Eventim platforms, with prices ranging from $25 to $217 depending on the event
2. Bar Sales: On-site bar serving alcohol with cash and major credit cards accepted. Revenue from alcoholic beverages during events
3. Private Event Rentals: Venue rental for private functions including weddings, corporate events, fundraisers, speaking events, and after-parties. Includes optional services like wedding planning, coat check, entertainment booking
4. Underage Fee: $5 underage fee charged at the door for patrons under 21 years of age to cover insurance, property taxes, and lost bar revenues

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lyric Oxford is a historic live music venue in Oxford, Mississippi that hosts concerts, fundraisers, private functions, wedding receptions, corporate meetings, and other events. It operates a 32ft x 20ft performance space equipped with professional L-Acoustics sound and Chamsys lighting systems, sells tickets through Seetickets and Eventim, and offers full private event packages including security, bartenders, sound production, and event management.

Product overview

The Lyric Oxford operates as a historic live music venue offering a unified event hosting experience. The core offering combines concert and event hosting with private event rental services, supported by in-house sound and lighting production capabilities. The venue's main performance space and professional production equipment (Midas Pro consoles, L-Acoustics speakers, Chamsys lighting) serve both public concerts and private events, with optional add-on services like wedding planning, coat check, and entertainment booking available for private rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Concert and Event Hosting The Lyric Oxford's primary offering is hosting live music performances across genres (country, indie, rock, etc.) for audiences 18 and older, with minors allowed when accompanied by a parent or guardian over 21. Tickets are sold through Seetickets and Eventim and at the on-site box office.
• Private Event Rental
• In-House Sound and Lighting Production Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Venue reopened July 3, 2008 after extensive restoration
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SeeticketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner of The Lyric Oxford. All valid tickets must be purchased through Seetickets for events. The venue does not guarantee admission for tickets purchased from third-party or resale sites.
• EventimcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner alongside Seetickets. Eventim and Seetickets are the only valid ticketing platforms for The Lyric Oxford.
• Live NationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor concert promoter that presents artists at The Lyric Oxford, such as Max McNown shows. Live Nation is one of the world's leading live entertainment companies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• First Avenue: Iconic Minneapolis live music venue and nightclub hosting national touring acts plus private events. Comparable historic venue with similar ticket-plus-bar-plus-rental mix, but at meaningfully larger scale and brand recognition.
• House of Blues: Multi-city chain of live music venues combining ticketed concerts, bar operations, and private/corporate events. Operates in the same broad live-music-venue category but as a national portfolio rather than a single-location operator.
• The Tabernacle: Restored historic venue in Atlanta, GA operating as a Live Nation-affiliated concert hall with private event rentals. Comparable in historic-preservation positioning, promoter partnership structure, and concert-plus-events dual model.

Direct peers

• Tipitina's: Iconic New Orleans live music venue operating as both a ticketed concert hall and private event rental business. Highly comparable regional Southern music venue with comparable scale, mixed concert/private-event model, and similar bar-driven ancillary revenue.
• Minglewood Hall: Mid-tier Memphis, TN live music and private event venue serving a regional touring circuit. Comparable geographic tier, capacity, and concert-plus-rental model within reasonable proximity of the North Mississippi trade area.
• The Blue Note: College-town (Columbia, MO) intimate live music venue hosting touring and local acts plus private events. Closest comparable in terms of university-town demographics, capacity tier, and concert-plus-rental revenue mix.
• Cat's Cradle: Intimate Chapel Hill, NC live music club serving a college/mid-market demographic with touring and local programming. Comparable in scale, booking model, and ticketed-concert core with ancillary bar revenue.
• 9:30 Club: Long-running intimate live music venue in Washington, DC operating as a ticketed concert room with full bar. Comparable programming, capacity tier, and operational format, though with a much larger national draw.
• Proud Larry's: Restaurant and live music venue on the Oxford Square, explicitly cross-referenced by The Lyric as a local dining partner. Operates in the same micro-market and competes directly for both concert-goers and private event bookings in Oxford, MS.

Others

• Live Nation: Core promoter partner routing artists like Max McNown to The Lyric. They are not a direct peer operator but represent the dominant counterparty in the touring supply chain and an indirect competitive benchmark for venue economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TheLyricOxford
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-Lyric-Oxford/52895571276
• Instagraminstagram.com/TheLyricOxford
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lyric-oxford-theater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Lyric Oxford Theater