Fitz Holladay

Director, Sofar Sounds

Washington, D.C.

Sofar Sounds (or Songs from a Room) is a program where members sign up to be invited to a private concert. The events started in London in March 2009[1] by Rafe Offer, Rocky Start and Dave Alexander.[2] The lineup for the concert is not disclosed until the event starts, while the location is only announced the day before.[3] The ethos behind this is that highlighting headlining acts encourages people to turn up late and not respect the other performers.[4] All genres are welcome to apply to perform. Local city leaders[5] and their review teams curate the evenings. There are now more than 100 Sofar Sounds gigs each month, many of which are hosted in members’ living rooms.[6] Sofar has communities in more than 200 cities worldwide.[7]