Looking for a part on Broadway? Or maybe a showcase at South by Southwest? Both searches could end up fielded by the same company, now that two of the leading sites that help actors and up-and-coming musicians find work are joining together.
Backstage, a publication that since the “Mad Men” age has been a highly trafficked job board for actors, will announce on Wednesday that it is buying Sonicbids, a Web site that lets bands book performances at festivals, clubs and elsewhere.
The deal is estimated at $15 million, and will be financed by Guggenheim Partners, whose media properties include Dick Clark Productions and Prometheus Global Media, the company behind trade publications like Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter.
Backstage and Sonicbids serve separate parts of the entertainment world, but they have similar business models, offering users some access free and charging subscriptions for more extensive features. John Amato, the chief executive of Backstage, and Panos Panay, the founder of Sonicbids, said in a joint interview on Tuesday that the combined company would have 600,000 registered users, with 60,000 of them paying subscribers.
Listings by and for performers seeking work are the bread and butter of both sites. Backstage is still published in print, but Mr. Amato said that more than 70 percent of its business is online. Since 1960, Backstage has been the bible of casting calls and audition notices for Broadway, film and television.
“If you have a desk job, there are a lot of places you can go to find a job online,” said Mr. Amato, who will lead the combined company. “If you are a creative, there aren’t a lot of those places.”
Sonicbids, founded in 2001, lets its users build online press kits and apply for shows with promoters. It competes with other artist-services companies like ReverbNation, and also Myspace, where musicians of every level can create public profiles. Sonicbids is also the platform used by the South by Southwest festival for band applications.
The site has also tried to make itself a talent forum to attract corporate brands, like Bud Light and Gap, that are looking for music for ads or promotional campaigns.
“We find that bands are not just looking for gigs,” Mr. Panay said. “They are also looking to connect with brands, to have their music in TV commercials, to have their music on Broadway and in film.”
Sonicbids, based in Boston, will retain its name and staff, as will Backstage, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Ben Sisario writes about the music industry. Follow @sisario on Twitter.
Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/backstage-to-acquire-sonicbids/?partner=rss&emc=rss
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