The Società Audit
A Ten-Year Inventory
We began back in March 2016 with little more than a folding table, a box of candles and a stubborn belief that the standard gig model was broken.
Looking back from the vantage point of ten years, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of the artists who trusted us and the curiosity of the audiences who showed up to listen in the dark. We all just wanted to create a small, temporary utopia where everything and everyone was equal.
If we succeeded, it is only because you all allowed us to.
So if you treat La Violette Società as a cultural laboratory, these are the findings of our ten-year experiment.
£130,500
Total gross revenue generated from ticket sales over a decade
100%
The proportion of that figure paid directly to the artists on the bill. No corporate skimming, no "administrative deductions."
£0.00
Total booking fees charged to our audience
232
Officially billed invoices processed. Every single one settled before the lights went out.
58
Total completed events
(61 planned, minus 2 for Covid and 1 human counting error).
290
Total individual performances.
While the posters listed 3 or 4 artists, there was always a 5th: PJ Smith, our host, who provided the connective tissue for every single night.
153 hours
Total time the stage was live.
That is over six full days of continuous, uninterrupted music and spoken word.
5
While Liverpool was our base, the experiment travelled across the UK to prove the model could work anywhere:
Liverpool, London, Glasgow, St Ives, Leamington Spa
9,156
Individual seats occupied by people
27,468
Estimated drinks sold by our venue partners.
We invested in the artists and helped sustain the spaces where it all happened.
0
The number of "Headliners." In our system, the value of the person opening the night was mathematically identical to the person closing it.
Tuesday 7 April 2026 is the final entry in a ledger that has spanned ten years.
We built it to prove a point. We wanted to show that another way is possible. Where the artists are treated equally and the audience is respected.
Looking forward to you joining us next Tuesday for the final time.
