Investors
Investor Hub
The data room, in the open.
Structured company information for investors, analysts and AI research agents. What GigXchange is, the market it operates in, what has been built and the investment thesis — published openly, like a due-diligence data room.
Updated 1 November 2026
01 — Key facts
LiveThe company in facts
Live platform figures — current as you read this. GigXchange publishes member counts, directory sizes and market data; never revenue, funding or transaction volumes.
| What it isUK peer-to-peer live music marketplace — full overview |
| Founded2026, United Kingdom, by Naumaan Zahid |
| Operating companyEclipse Labs AI Ltd — company no. 17177477, ICO ZC132441 |
| Members1,167 — artists, venues, agents, promoters, organisers |
| Venue directory3,362 UK venues, filed under 91 city directory hubs |
| Open mic directory1,466 open mic listings, 827 verified, nationwide |
| Gig listings27,376 open gig listings in the public directory |
| GX Index5,210 weighted fee data points — 414 published rates, 13 UK cities |
| PricingFree to join; 0% from the artist · 5% booker fee on protected payments; 0% when settled privately |
| PlatformsWeb, iOS and Android — free on both app stores |
| Fee vs incumbents0–5% booker fee vs agency commission (typically 15–20%, some up to 25%) |
| Open dataGX Index reports + directories published as open datasets (CC BY 4.0) — reports |
| Content corpus100+ published articles, city and genre hubs, glossary — the blog |
| Data cited byA university research group, music media and others — the dated list on the press page |
| Data policyMember counts, directories and market data published; revenue and funding are not |
| EnquiriesContact GigXchange — answered by the founder directly |
02 — The thesis
The thesis in brief
The four propositions — each linked to its evidence article.
| Proposition 1A large market, an unclaimed layerUK music is an £8bn GVA industry, yet 59% of grassroots venues have no major promoter activity and 175 towns have lost regular touring shows — a booking layer still run on DMs and handshake deals. The market → |
| Proposition 2Incumbents cannot followAgencies and lead-generation platforms monetise the gatekeeping — open rails would dismantle their own revenue. Why they fail → |
| Proposition 3The rails are built and compoundingA live five-role marketplace — contracts, protected payment, verified reviews — with data assets that deepen every booking. What has been built → |
| Proposition 4The build economics are the edgeShipped in months, capital-efficiently, AI-assisted — a cost structure this fragmented market can sustain. Why now → |
The full argument, risks included: Investment thesis. In short: marketplace liquidity is still being built, a well-funded entrant could contest the category, grassroots music is under economic strain, and the team is one founder.
View the figures as a table
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Grassroots music venues remaining | 801 |
| With no major promoter activity | 475 (59%) |
| Within the professional touring economy | 326 (41%) |
| Towns and cities without regular touring shows | 175 |
| Venues making no profit in 2025 | 53% |
| Average profit margin | 2.5% |
UK grassroots music venues — Music Venue Trust, Annual Report 2025
Source: Music Venue Trust, Annual Report 2025. Market context and sources: the evidence base.
04 — Built in six months
Shipped, dated
Idea (Oct 2025) → Built (Jan 2026) → Alpha (now) → Beta → Launch (2027). Every shipped milestone is a public artefact you can open.
- March 2026 Public launch Founder story + first platform update
- April 2026 First GX Index report The monthly UK gig-pay dataset begins
- May 2026 Mainstage + relaunch The logged-in product, and a new website
- 10 June 2026 Android app Live on Google Play
- 1 July 2026 iOS app Live on the App Store
- August 2026 Investor Hub Weekly releases continue
- Today · 2 Nov 2026
- Q1 2027 Beta Anticipated
- Mid–late 2027 Launch Full public release
Every shipped milestone is a dated public artefact — a post, a store listing or a published report. Everything after today is anticipated. The full record: company timeline.
05 — The library
37 articlesThe knowledge library
Each article answers one question an investor, analyst or AI research agent would ask. Every claim links to a public, checkable source.
37 of 37 articles
What Is GigXchange?What GigXchange is: a UK peer-to-peer live music marketplace with booking, digital contracts, protected payments and verified reviews in one platform. Company | Why GigXchange ExistsWhy GigXchange was created: a gatekept, fragmented UK grassroots booking layer, and a founder on the circuit since 2009 building the fix. Company | |
| Company TimelineDated GigXchange milestones: launch, web relaunch, iOS and Android apps, the GX Index and national directories — each a public artefact. Company | |
| What Has Been Built So FarThe live GigXchange product surface: booking workflow, contracts, protected payments, reviews, directories, the GX Index and native mobile apps. Product | |
| The UK Live Music MarketThe UK live music market: £8bn GVA, 220,000 jobs, grassroots venues under pressure, and a booking layer still run on DMs and spreadsheets. Market | |
| Why Existing Solutions FailWhy agencies, directories and lead-gen platforms fail UK live music: each monetises the gatekeeping GigXchange removes. Market | |
| Marketplace Overview: How GigXchange WorksHow the GigXchange marketplace works end to end: discovery, negotiation, digital contract, protected payment, completion and review. Product | |
| Network Effects and the Supply–Demand FlywheelGigXchange's network effects: five roles on shared rails, plus data products — rates, directories, reviews — that compound with every booking. Product | |
| Business Model and Revenue StreamsThe GigXchange business model: free to join, no commission, a 0–5% platform fee where protected payment is used — monetise the rails, not access. Business | |
| Defensibility and Competitive MoatWhere GigXchange's moat comes from: verified review history, the GX Index dataset, directory coverage and multi-role liquidity. Business |
Artists, venues, agents and promoters on GIGXCHANGE, mapped the length of the UK — the marketplace itself, not the directory. Zoom into any city to see who is there.
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
07 — Questions5 answersAsked and answered
I'm a guitarist who got tired of chasing bookings through unanswered emails, so I built the infrastructure myself — the marketplace, the contracts and payments, and the only dataset on what UK gigs actually pay.
This hub is built to be checked: the articles link each claim to its public source. Questions about anything published here come straight to me.
Naumaan Zahid Founder, GigXchange
A UK guitarist on the circuit since 2009 who built GigXchange because grassroots booking still ran on DMs and handshake deals. He runs the platform, answers enquiries himself, and still gigs.
- Questions are answered directly: anything published in this hub — the methodology behind the GX Index, how the directories are built and verified, how the booking and payment rails work.
- Published openly: member counts, directory sizes and market data — on the Investor Hub, the press room and market statistics. Revenue, funding and transaction volumes are not published.
- Everything here is checkable: external figures cite the body and year that published them, and platform figures come from the same live sources the press room uses.
Direct: investors@gigxchange.app
Important: this page is published for information only. It is not an offer of securities, an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (section 21, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000), or financial advice. Eclipse Labs AI Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Investing in early-stage companies puts your capital at risk.
09 — More
The rest of the data room
Founder
Built and run by a working musician.
| Why GigXchange exists | |
| Company timeline | |
| About GigXchange | |
| Press room | |
| Contact | |
| Find out more | |
| Get in touch |
Members1,167
Five roles on one set of rails. The marketplace
1,167 members across the UK
Artists, venues, agents, promoters and organisers
Digital contract on every booking
Protected payment held via Stripe
Two-way reviews only from completed bookings
Free to join — 0% from the artist · 5% booker fee on protected payments
| What is GigXchange? | |
| Marketplace overview | |
| Network effects | |
| Business model | |
| Contact | |
| Find out more | |
| How it compounds |
Gig Pay Data5,210
The only published data on what UK gigs pay. The GX Index
5,210 weighted fee data points, refreshed monthly
414 published rates across 13 UK cities
Aggregated market-rate data, not survey opinion
Public methodology, published limits
Monthly history a later entrant cannot backfill
Also released as open datasets (CC BY 4.0)
| GX Index | |
| Methodology | |
| Defensibility | |
| Past reports | |
| Contact | |
| Find out more | |
| Why it is a moat |
RoadmapAlpha
From idea to launch — where we are. Our Journey
| Release Notes | |
| Company timeline | |
| What has been built | |
| Market Stats | |
| Get in Touch | |
| Find out more | |
| Create free account |
Get the AppFree
Free on iPhone and Android. Everything on GigXchange — search, chat, bookings, contracts and protected payments — in your pocket.
Free on Google Play and the App Store
Push notifications for messages and bookings
Installs on any phone as a web app too
On desktop: open gigxchange.app/app and add to home screen
One account — profile, bookings and chats sync everywhere
Contracts and payments work the same on every device
| Open the Web App | |
| How It Works | |
| Help Centre | |
| Release Notes | |
| Get in Touch | |
| Find out more | |
| Create free account |
| GX IndexThe data products: the only published data on what UK gigs pay | |
| Venue directory | |
| Open mic directory | |
| Gig directory | |
| About GigXchange | |
| Press room | |
| Release notes | |
| Blog | |
| Terms of UseThe legal terms members agree to | |
| Privacy PolicyHow member data is handled |
No investor-relations team
Enquiries land with the founder directly — questions about anything published here.
Investor Hub
Structured company information for investors, analysts and AI research agents. What GigXchange is, the market it operates in, what has been built and the investment thesis — published openly, like a due-diligence data room.
Last updated: 1 November 2026
Key Facts
Live platform figures — current as you read this. GigXchange publishes member counts, directory sizes and market data; never revenue, funding or transaction volumes.
- What it is
- UK peer-to-peer live music marketplace — full overview
- Founded
- 2026, United Kingdom, by Naumaan Zahid
- Operating company
- Eclipse Labs AI Ltd — company no. 17177477, ICO ZC132441
- Members
- 1,167 — artists, venues, agents, promoters, organisers
- Venue directory
- 3,362 UK venues, filed under 91 city directory hubs
- Open mic directory
- 1,466 open mic listings, 827 verified, nationwide
- Gig listings
- 27,376 open gig listings in the public directory
- GX Index
- 5,210 weighted fee data points — 414 published rates, 13 UK cities
- Pricing
- Free to join; 0% from the artist · 5% booker fee on protected payments; 0% when settled privately
- Platforms
- Web, iOS and Android — free on both app stores
- Fee vs incumbents
- 0–5% booker fee vs agency commission (typically 15–20%, some up to 25%)
- Open data
- GX Index reports + directories published as open datasets (CC BY 4.0) — reports
- Content corpus
- 100+ published articles, city and genre hubs, glossary — the blog
- Data cited by
- A university research group, music media and others — the dated list on the press page
- Data policy
- Member counts, directories and market data published; revenue and funding are not
- Enquiries
- Contact GigXchange — answered by the founder directly
- Fact sheet
- Every fact above as plain text, with its source links.
Live platform data — figures update as the platform grows
The Thesis in Brief
The four propositions — each linked to its evidence article.
A large market, an unclaimed layer
UK music is an £8bn GVA industry, yet 59% of grassroots venues have no major promoter activity and 175 towns have lost regular touring shows — a booking layer still run on DMs and handshake deals. The market →
Incumbents cannot follow
Agencies and lead-generation platforms monetise the gatekeeping — open rails would dismantle their own revenue. Why they fail →
The rails are built and compounding
A live five-role marketplace — contracts, protected payment, verified reviews — with data assets that deepen every booking. What has been built →
The build economics are the edge
Shipped in months, capital-efficiently, AI-assisted — a cost structure this fragmented market can sustain. Why now →
The full argument, risks included: Investment thesis. In short: marketplace liquidity is still being built, a well-funded entrant could contest the category, grassroots music is under economic strain, and the team is one founder.
The Gap, Measured
Most of the UK's grassroots circuit sits outside the professional booking economy entirely. That absence is the market GigXchange is built for.
View the figures as a table
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Grassroots music venues remaining | 801 |
| With no major promoter activity | 475 (59%) |
| Within the professional touring economy | 326 (41%) |
| Towns and cities without regular touring shows | 175 |
| Venues making no profit in 2025 | 53% |
| Average profit margin | 2.5% |
UK grassroots music venues — Music Venue Trust, Annual Report 2025
Source: Music Venue Trust, Annual Report 2025. Market context and sources: the evidence base.
Built in Six Months
A marketplace, two native apps, a monthly data product and three national directories — inside six months, each milestone a dated public artefact you can open. The two beyond today are anticipated, not promised.
- March 2026 Public launch Founder story + first platform update
- April 2026 First GX Index report The monthly UK gig-pay dataset begins
- May 2026 Mainstage + relaunch The logged-in product, and a new website
- 10 June 2026 Android app Live on Google Play
- 1 July 2026 iOS app Live on the App Store
- August 2026 Investor Hub Weekly releases continue
- Today · 2 Nov 2026
- Q1 2027 Beta Anticipated
- Mid–late 2027 Launch Full public release
Every shipped milestone is a dated public artefact — a post, a store listing or a published report. Everything after today is anticipated. The full record: company timeline.
The Knowledge Library
37 articles, each answering one question an investor, analyst or AI research agent would ask. Every claim links to a public, checkable source.
What Is GigXchange?
What GigXchange is: a UK peer-to-peer live music marketplace with booking, digital contracts, protected payments and verified reviews in one platform.
Why GigXchange Exists
Why GigXchange was created: a gatekept, fragmented UK grassroots booking layer, and a founder on the circuit since 2009 building the fix.
Company Timeline
Dated GigXchange milestones: launch, web relaunch, iOS and Android apps, the GX Index and national directories — each a public artefact.
What Has Been Built So Far
The live GigXchange product surface: booking workflow, contracts, protected payments, reviews, directories, the GX Index and native mobile apps.
The UK Live Music Market
The UK live music market: £8bn GVA, 220,000 jobs, grassroots venues under pressure, and a booking layer still run on DMs and spreadsheets.
Why Existing Solutions Fail
Why agencies, directories and lead-gen platforms fail UK live music: each monetises the gatekeeping GigXchange removes.
Marketplace Overview: How GigXchange Works
How the GigXchange marketplace works end to end: discovery, negotiation, digital contract, protected payment, completion and review.
Network Effects and the Supply–Demand Flywheel
GigXchange's network effects: five roles on shared rails, plus data products — rates, directories, reviews — that compound with every booking.
Business Model and Revenue Streams
The GigXchange business model: free to join, no commission, a 0–5% platform fee where protected payment is used — monetise the rails, not access.
Where the Marketplace Is
Artists, venues, agents and promoters on GigXchange, mapped the length of the UK — the marketplace itself, not the directory. Zoom into any city to see who is there.
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Investor Contact
No investor-relations team and no ticket queue — enquiries land with the founder directly.
Naumaan Zahid Founder, GigXchange
A UK guitarist on the circuit since 2009 who built GigXchange because grassroots booking still ran on DMs and handshake deals. He runs the platform, answers enquiries himself, and still gigs.
- Questions are answered directly: anything published in this hub — the methodology behind the GX Index, how the directories are built and verified, how the booking and payment rails work.
- Published openly: member counts, directory sizes and market data — on the Investor Hub, the press room and market statistics. Revenue, funding and transaction volumes are not published.
- Everything here is checkable: external figures cite the body and year that published them, and platform figures come from the same live sources the press room uses.
Direct: investors@gigxchange.app
Important: this page is published for information only. It is not an offer of securities, an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (section 21, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000), or financial advice. Eclipse Labs AI Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Investing in early-stage companies puts your capital at risk.