Conor Byrne Cooperative is a hybrid worker and member-owned cooperative business and a fiscally-sponsored arts organization (by Shunpike Arts) based in historic Ballard.

The community is composed of musicians and music appreciators—and many folks who enjoy the warm environment and have a history with the institution. Over 600 Washington residents joined as member-owners in the past three months because they are passionate about preserving this piece of Seattle music history and protecting a “third place” that has become home to so many. Some lovingly call Conor Byrne’s infamous Sunday Open Mic Night “church.” We have received countless stories of the number of friendships, bands, relationships, marriages, and even children that are credited to these brick walls. Aside from its Open Mic, the public knows Conor Byrne for Monday Bluegrass Nights and Tuesday Country Dance Night in addition to its low-cost ticketed shows with local bands Wednesday through Saturday. 

Upon the announcement of it’s closure back in April 2024, the community rallied to save Conor Byrne offering donations and volunteering skills - everything from cooperative expertise to copywriting to web development to social media to bar management to construction and more. Thanks to the massive community effort, Conor Byrne Cooperative was able to re-open doors in August and begin bringing music back to the stage. All are welcome - members and the public can walk through the doors on any night of the week to enjoy local live music and participate in the special community that Conor Byrne has nurtured over many generations.

The Future of Conor Byrne
As we transition Conor Byrne into a cooperative, we plan to expand the ways in which we can support the local music scene. We will do this by continuing to pay artists and offer workforce development for sound, booking, and marketing positions, and professionally, through new educational programming, artist development, and first-stage opportunities to emerging artists. Conor Byrne is the proving ground for new artists, often supporting musicians from their first open mic to their first ticketed show. Our goal is to put local artists first and give them these opportunities. Local music producer, Kevin Sur of Artist Home, points out that venues like Conor Byrne that are willing to take chances on rising artists are a critical part of a local music ecosystem. “Every band needs to work their way up the ladder,” he says, “Conor Byrne and venues of that size offer the first few rungs of the ladder.” If smaller venues like Conor Byrne disappear it critically impacts the local music scene. Without venues that prioritize local music first, we lose the catalyst for new musicians to join the larger local music ecosystem. Additional funding will enhance the experience for the artists and patrons by offering better sound, better equipment, better pay for artists, and creating a more reciprocal exchange between artist and venue. Under our new cooperative model, we offer member-owners and artists an opportunity to weigh in on changes to the venue to ensure we are pivoting the business based on our community’s needs.