Side Door: the tech platform helping artists make a living

Co-founded by Vancouver musician Dan Mangan, the startup enables artists to perform in non-traditional venues and recently secured a deal on Dragons’ Den.

Beer can’t pay the bills, but for Juno-award winning artist Dan Mangan, that was often how he was compensated in the early days of his career. Although he enjoyed performing in bars and other smaller, intimate spaces, the financial returns were always variable. “If I played to 30 people in a bar, I'd get paid in beer tickets, and if I played to 30 peopl…