feed the scene
Feed The Scene is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides free lodging, meals, and show booking to touring bands via a volunteer-run band house. It serves DIY touring musicians globally while relying on donations and merchandise sales for funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBaltimore, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What feed the scene does
Feed The Scene is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered at 3512 Bank Street, Baltimore, MD, that operates as a volunteer-run "Band & Breakfast" for the touring music scene. Its core offering is the "Stay With Us" service — free accommodation in 12 bunks plus two air mattresses, with meals provided when budget allows — for touring and local bands passing through Baltimore. Since founding, the organization has housed and fed more than 1,200 individual bands from 24 countries, with demand driven by word-of-mouth in the DIY/punk touring circuit.
Complementing the hospitality offering, Feed The Scene runs "Play With Us," a show-booking service for touring and local bands, and the active "Save The Sidebar" campaign, a GoFundMe-led initiative seeking $80,000 to acquire The Sidebar venue and convert it into an open-source, nonprofit all-ages bar. The organization also operates a Squarespace e-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise (t-shirts at $15–$25, stickers from $1, patches, pins, koozies, accessories, and FEST compilation albums) at unit price points between $1 and $25. The technology footprint is minimal — Squarespace for commerce, Facebook and email for community engagement, GoFundMe for fundraising — with no proprietary platform, mobile app, or API.
The business model is donation- and merchandise-funded rather than revenue-generating in a commercial sense. All hospitality services are provided free of charge; no staff members draw salaries from the bar or lodging operations; and any operating surplus is reinvested into venue improvements or band guarantees. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via email ([email protected], [email protected]) and Facebook, with merchandise sold globally through the Squarespace storefront. The customer base is highly fragmented (individual touring bands) and the donor base carries more concentration risk than the end-user base.
feed the scene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- feed the scene
- Legal name
- Feed The Scene Foundation Inc
- Website
- https://feedthescene.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Feed The Scene is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides free lodging, meals, and show booking to touring bands via a volunteer-run band house. It serves DIY touring musicians globally while relying on donations and merchandise sales for funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
feed the scene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Musician Hospitality Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Touring & Event Logistics (Trucking, Freight, Backline, Crew) (MPAGAAAH), Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB)
Keywords
Where feed the scene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baltimore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
feed the scene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Feed The Scene Foundation Inc raises funds through direct donations and GoFundMe campaigns. They ran a campaign to raise $80,000 to purchase the Sidebar venue, covering purchase price, liquor license, utilities, sound system ($50,000) and bar repairs ($30,000). Donations are tax-deductible since the organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. No staff take salaries from the bar operations.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization operates an e-commerce shop selling branded merchandise including t-shirts ($15-$25), stickers ($1+), patches ($5), pins, koozies ($2.50), earplugs ($2), condoms ($1), bags ($4), fanny packs, and FEST compilation albums. All items are one-time unit price purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items sold at various price points |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
feed the scene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Feed The Scene is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free lodging and meals to touring and local bands passing through the city, alongside show booking services. The organization operates an online merchandise storefront and is fundraising through GoFundMe to acquire The Sidebar venue and run it as a nonprofit all-ages music space.
Product overview
Feed The Scene operates as a Band & Breakfast hospitality organization offering a portfolio of services including free housing and meals for touring musicians (Stay With Us accommodations with 12 bunks and 2 air mattresses), show booking for touring and local bands (Play With Us), and an e-commerce merchandise shop selling branded items like t-shirts, stickers, accessories, and event merchandise. The organization also runs a non-profit campaign (Save The Sidebar) to acquire The Sidebar venue as an open-source, non-profit establishment. The core service is the musician hospitality offering, supplemented by the merchandise shop and venue preservation initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stay With Us (Band & Breakfast) Free accommodation service providing clean beds and meals (when budget allows) for touring musicians visiting Baltimore. Capacity is 12 bunks plus 2 air mattresses.
- Play With Us Show booking service for touring and local bands looking to perform in Baltimore. Bands send tour/show details via the website to coordinate a booking.
- Sidebar Forever T-Shirt Limited edition t-shirt priced at $25.00 supporting the Save The Sidebar venue preservation initiative.
- FTS Unisex Shirt Unisex t-shirt featuring Feed The Scene branding, priced at $15.00.
- Sidebar Logo Shirt T-shirt featuring The Sidebar venue logo, priced at $20.00.
- Reusable Zip-Top Bag Reusable zip-top bag priced at $4.00 sold through the Feed The Scene online shop.
- Earplugs with Case Hearing protection earplugs with carrying case priced at $2.00, marketed for concert-goers.
- Condoms Sexual health product priced at $1.00 sold to event attendees.
- Fidget Ball Stress relief fidget toy sold through the Feed The Scene online shop.
- Pop Socket Phone accessory for grip and stand, priced at $8.00.
- FTS Pin Enamel pin badge available in black or white sold through the online shop.
- Koozie Beverage insulator with FTS branding, priced at $2.50.
- FTS Sticker Decal available in small or large size, starting at $1.00.
- FTS Embroidered Patch Embroidered patch measuring 5\" x 2.5\", priced at $5.00.
- FEST 20 Compilation Album Compilation album from FEST 20 event sold through the online merchandise shop.
- Stadium Cup 16oz reusable stadium cup sold through the Feed The Scene online shop.
- Holographic Sticker Rainbow holographic effect sticker sold through the Feed The Scene online shop.
Companies that use feed the scene
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
feed the scene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
feed the scene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GoFundMecoreGoFundMe is the platform used by Feed The Scene Foundation Inc to run their 'Save The Sidebar' crowdfunding campaign. The campaign aims to raise $80,000 to purchase the Sidebar bar in Baltimore and convert it into an open-source, nonprofit venue. GoFundMe provides the fundraising infrastructure for this major initiative.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
feed the scene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Black Cat: Long-running all-ages live music venue in Washington, DC that supports touring independent and punk acts. Comparable as a regional small-capacity music venue, though commercially operated rather than nonprofit, and located in a different metro.
Emerging players
- Sofar Sounds: Global intimate live-music events company that books shows in non-traditional venues for touring and local artists. Comparable as a community-driven live music booking organization, though commercial and tech-enabled versus FTS's nonprofit, in-person hospitality model.
Direct peers
- FEST (FEST Productions): Annual punk/DIY music festival in Gainesville, FL that organizes touring band logistics, bookings, and accommodations for hundreds of independent acts — directly overlapping FTS's mission of supporting touring punk musicians.
- Charm City Art Space: Baltimore DIY nonprofit all-ages venue explicitly cited as the inspiration model for Feed The Scene's Sidebar initiative; the original 'open source, non-profit' venue that FTS Foundation Inc aims to replicate through the Sidebar purchase.
- 924 Gilman Street: Long-running, volunteer-run, all-ages nonprofit punk/DIY venue in Berkeley, CA. Closest operating analog to FTS's Sidebar vision — community-governed, donation-supported, and focused on supporting touring underground bands.
Broad incumbents
- MusiCares: Established musician-support nonprofit (affiliated with the Recording Academy) providing financial assistance, health programs, and emergency relief to musicians. Broader, larger-scale analog of FTS's musician-welfare mission, though delivered via grants rather than lodging.
- Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Nonprofit providing financial assistance to career musicians struggling with medical, housing, and living expenses. Comparable as a musician-welfare nonprofit, though focused on direct cash assistance rather than in-kind hospitality.
Others
- National Independent Venue Association (NIVA): Trade and advocacy organization representing independent music venues and promoters in the US. Relevant as an ecosystem-level peer — FTS's Save The Sidebar campaign aligns directly with NIVA's mission of preserving independent venues.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
feed the scene social profiles
Digital presencefeed the scene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
feed the scene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
feed the scene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
feed the scene 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 feed the scene
What does feed the scene do?
Feed The Scene is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free lodging and meals to touring and local bands passing through the city, alongside show booking services. The organization operates an online merchandise storefront and is fundraising through GoFundMe to acquire The Sidebar venue and run it as a nonprofit all-ages music space.
Is feed the scene a public or private company?
feed the scene is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was feed the scene founded?
feed the scene was founded in 2011.
Where is feed the scene based?
feed the scene is headquartered in Baltimore, United States, in the North America region.
How does feed the scene make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales.
Who are feed the scene's main competitors?
Black Cat is listed as a regional player. Sofar Sounds is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are FEST (FEST Productions), Charm City Art Space and 924 Gilman Street. Broad incumbents are MusiCares and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is listed as an others.
Does feed the scene have an API?
No public API is recorded for feed the scene.
What industry is feed the scene in?
feed the scene's product category is Musician Hospitality Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars, with a secondary code of MPAGAAAH, Touring & Event Logistics (Trucking, Freight, Backline, Crew). Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7990.