Andy Allen, the founder of international music merchandising and tech company BSI Merch (formerly Backstreet International Merchandise), has launched a new venture to provide affordable co-working hubs for independent music entrepreneurs and companies.
House of Music and Entertainment (H.O.M.E) has launched the first of what is hoped will be a network of hubs throughout the UK and Europe with its debut offering in East London. The 6,000 sq ft property in Commercial Street, London E1, provides desk space and private offices for around 90 people, meeting rooms, a podcast studio, street-front retail space, and an event and performance area for industry showcases and events.
“The vision behind H.O.M.E is to create a wholly independent environment that addresses the changing nature of the music industry and the need for flexible, affordable co-working opportunities alongside the opportunity to interact and collaborate with likeminded individuals and companies,” said a statement.
Andy Allen said: “The networking element of H.O.M.E is really important; there are plenty of co-working spaces in major cities but we wanted to create something that brings the independent community together and gives them an opportunity to interact with their peers. Our locations will always be in areas where a lot of music industry professionals live and we want to make things affordable for entrepreneurs and companies who are either in their start-up or early stage of their development.”
We want to make things affordable for entrepreneurs and companies who are either in their start-up or early stage of their development
Andy Allen
H.O.M.E. is developing an educational talks programme and will be hosting performance, networking and social events on a regular basis. There are also plans to promote mentoring opportunities and for a tech incubator and investment division.
Andy Allen added: “Too often, people working in the independent music sector find themselves working in isolation and this has been particularly true since the pandemic as we all moved towards home working and hybrid models.
“Providing the things people want and need such as a sense of community, convenient locations, likeminded professionals to interact with, affordability, the opportunity to take part in educational and social activities – and of course good coffee – are what we are focused on and we want H.O.M.E to be at the forefront of innovation in this area.”
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