Manchester-based live music marketplace GigPig is preparing to expand into Ireland marking its first international rollout following investment from Best Nights VC, the venture capital arm of Mast-Jägermeister SE.
The move will see GigPig launch initially in Dublin and Belfast, working with independent venues, multi-site pub groups, hotels and local artists to build a locally rooted live music network. The Ireland rollout is positioned as a springboard for wider European expansion.
Founded to address long-standing inefficiencies in how live music is booked and managed in hospitality, GigPig provides venues with a single platform to book, manage, pay for and promote live performances, replacing fragmented processes across operations, finance and marketing.
READ MORE: Macclesfield design agency wins ICO digital contract amid surge in online demand
The platform is already used by more than 3,000 venues and 18,000 artists across the UK. Since 2023, it has facilitated 120,000 gigs, saving hospitality venues £7m in booking fees and generating £24m for artists.
Data cited by the company highlights the wider commercial impact of live music on hospitality, with venues hosting gigs seeing increases of up to 89% in customer spend, 36% in footfall, 61% in dwell time and a 48% uplift in repeat visits, according to the CGA Live Music Index.
Co-founder Kit Muir-Rogers said the Ireland launch reflects both the platform’s growth and its wider ambition to support grassroots music infrastructure. “We launched GigPig with the belief that live music shouldn’t be confined to dedicated venues – that any hospitality space can be a stage,” he said. “We’ve proven the case in the UK, bringing more live music to pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants, and helping to establish a seed music venue movement. Ireland has one of the strongest live music cultures in the world, and hospitality venues sit right at the heart of that. We want to support that culture with better tools and a simpler way for venues and artists to connect. This is the natural next step for GigPig and an important milestone as we begin to scale internationally.”
Lorrain, Managing Director at Best Nights VC, said: “GigPig is bringing people back together in real life. In a world dominated by digital experiences, their platform doesn’t just make live music easier to access – it creates moments where artists, audiences and communities can truly connect. This is exactly the kind of impact Best Nights VC champions: businesses that power meaningful IRL experiences and strengthen the nightlife economy and entertainment culture. We’re excited to support GigPig as they internationalise and continue turning nights out into real human connections.”
GigPig was founded in 2022 and has worked closely with operators and stakeholders across the UK hospitality sector to help define the emerging “seed music venue” category – pubs, bars and hospitality spaces that provide artists with their first paid stages, forming the foundation of the wider live music ecosystem.
