The Bash (company)

American event services booking platform

The Bash

Company type| Internet
Founded| 1997; 27 years ago (1997)
Headquarters|

Norwalk, Connecticut

United States

Key people

| Michael Caldwell, CEO; Kevin Kinyon, President
Website| thebash.com

The Bash (formerly GigMasters) is an event services booking platform.[1][2] Its headquarters are in South Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.[3] The Bash matches entertainers with planners of weddings, dances, parties, festivals, celebrations, and corporate events.[4][5][6]

## History

[edit]

GigMasters was founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs Michael Caldwell and Kevin Kinyon who were based near New York. The company launched the first version of its website in February 1997. In September 2010, GigMasters raised $200,000 in expansion funding from investor James Marciano.[citation needed]

In 2013, about half of the company's bookings were wedding-related.[7] In November 2013, the company raised $1.3 million in series A funding by XO Group, parent company of TheKnot.com.[8] Kristin Savilia, XO Group's Executive Vice President, joined GigMasters' board of directors.[9]

In September 2014, Inc. Magazine ranked GigMasters as one of the nation's 5000 fastest growing private companies.[10]

In October, 2015, the Caldwell and Kinyon, creators of GigMasters, sold the company for $8.5 million to XO Group.[11]

In June 2018, GigMasters launched The Bash in New York City to test a one-stop party planning platform. The team learned a lot and validated findings around a complete booking experience while learning that the brand name ‘The Bash’ resonated well with party planners.

In July 2019, The Bash was expanded nationwide by merging it with GigMasters, and rebranded the combined site as The Bash (www.thebash.com).

In January 2020, The Bash launched venues in New York and Los Angeles and began removing references to GigMasters across the site.

In April, 2020, The Bash launched venues in Chicago and other major markets, revealed an official new logo, a redesigned navigation and footer, and color updates to the site to reflect the new brand style.[12]

## Features

[edit]

The Bash sorts entries by instrument and by event or service type.[13] Musicians create profiles and describe their services.[14][15][self-published source] Potential customers can enter their location and search for the service they need.[16]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rick Snoman (15 October 2013). Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-135-96409-2.
2. ^ Joseph A. Kotarba (2013). Baby Boomer Rock 'n' Roll Fans: The Music Never Ends. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-0-8108-8483-0.
3. ^ GigMasters Finds a New Stage in South Norwalk. Stamfor Advocate Richard Lee, Staff Writer, July 26, 2011
4. ^ Randy Chertkow; Jason Feehan (4 September 2012). The Indie Band Survival Guide, 2nd Ed.: The Complete Manual for the Do-it-Yourself Musician. St. Martin's Press. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-1-250-01753-6.
5. ^ "10 Father's Day experiences you have to try". Ashbury Park Press, Kelly-Jane Cotter, June 14, 2015
6. ^ "Simple ways to hire help". Ashbury Park Press, Liz Dennerlein. Aug. 8, 2016
7. ^ "Fading glory: Demand for Elvis impersonators isn't what it used to be". Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 7, 2013. by LAURA CARROLL
8. ^ "Bridal publishers tie the knot between content and commerce". Digiday, October 27, 2015 by Ricardo Bilton
9. ^ GigMasters Inc. Raises $1.3m Marketbrief Archived 2014-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
10. ^ Top Companies in Connecticut on the 2014 Inc. 5000 INC, 2014.
11. ^ "The Knot owner buys Norwalk‘s GigMasters". Stamford Advocate, By Alexander Soule, October 5, 2015
12. ^ "GigMasters is now the Bash".
13. ^ Simon Adams (27 August 2010). 101 Ways To Market Your Music On The Web. Lulu.com. pp. 166–. ISBN 978-1-4457-5776-6.
14. ^ Anne Roos (2008). The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings. Hal Leonard Books. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-1-4234-3874-8.
15. ^ Margy Johnson (24 March 2014). Start Your Own Costume Character Business & Make Great Money Working at Home. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-4931-7516-1.
16. ^ "25 Places to Hire a Santa Claus for Your Small Business". Small Business Trends, Nov 25, 2016 by Annie Pilon