Nick Cianfaglione found his passion through tragedy.
After his dad died of cancer, the then-13-year-old signed up for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. To raise money, he organized a concert, renting a venue, booking musicians and selling tickets.
It failed “miserably,” with about 20 people in attendance, Cianfaglione said. But the next year, the same event sold out.
The Connecticut native continued to a side-hustle in the music industry, starting his own entertainment company in high school before turning to the marketing for Boston-based entertainment venues as a Bryant University student.
He quickly realized that independent artists who make up the bulk of the industry couldn’t afford the formal managers to advertise and book shows.
Enter Artist Republik. The automated networking platform lets independent artists market themselves, book shows and monitor engagement through social media platforms. Since launching its alpha phase in January, the platform has attracted 18,000 artists from around the world, closing a $54,000 seed round and hiring nine employees.
Cianfaglione, a would-be senior at Bryant, has taken a year off to focus on the business, with plans to establish a physical office and potentially open a local music venue.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
