How To Split An Atom

Bandsintown submitted a nomination to the Open Web Awards. On top of that, Todd Cronin, one of the founders of the site was kind enough to sit down and speak to me.

Bandsintown is a service that seeks to bring together music lovers and musicians, by recommending local concerts.

Bandsintown

Alright, give me the pitch for Bandsintown. Why should we care? What is it trying to
accomplish?

Bandsintown is an online community whose users can track their favorite artists, connect with other live music fans, and discover new shows based on their musical tastes. Bandsintown consolidates ticket prices, concert information, and live concert media all in one place. Whether you’re a performing artist or simply a fan of live music, you should be on Bandsintown. We are bridging the gap between fans and artists. As an artist you are connected with potential fans of your music automatically, instead of aimlessly promoting your shows. As a fan you are exposed to both the music that interests you, and suggested related artists you may enjoy.

Who Are You Targeting?

I go to my share of concerts and this seems like a real boon for anyone who doesn’t have time to keep up with every new show. Who are you targeting with this product and how are you spreading it to them?

Bandsintown is meant to connect live music fans with more live music. By this we mean that anyone who likes live music can sign up and the site customizes itself to help you discover local shows that fit your musical profile. So if your a fan of Radiohead, we will send you a reminder anytime Radiohead is playing in your area, but we also help you find local shows that might sound like Radiohead. This is what is so amazing about Bandsintown, it does the work for you, connecting you to smaller local shows and artists that offer a really attractive alternative to high priced Ticketmaster concerts.

Currently the site has been spreading via word of mouth, but in the next few months you will see a lot more tools for artists and fans to connect with each other and have a bigger influence on the recommendation system.

Beauty In Design

Your design work is great, extremely clean. What were some of your influences when
putting it together?

Thank you…. We draw creative inspiration for from all over the place. Analyzing everything we see and experience. Some of my personal influences have been artists / designers like John Maeda and Joshua Davis. The way they use technology and media as a means to produce art is completely amazing to me. I try to approach my work in a similar mindset by bridging the gap between art and functionality.

We draw a lot of our development inspiration from companies like 37signals whom take a minimalist approach at solving complicated problems.

A Glimpse Into The Future

What do you think is the next big development in the web? If Web 2.0 was about collaboration, what does the future hold?

Location. As GPS and location based technologies become common place among mobile devices
It will allow web services to really customize themselves to their users offering real time location based information. One day Bandsintown will be able to provide instant show updates based on your geographical location. You could be at a bar and if there is a show in the area that matches your interests we’re going to tell you.

Web 2.0 Roundup

I would like to thank Todd again for taking the time to talk to me. If you are always searching for the latest, greatest shows in your area and want to take some of the guess work out, be sure to give Bandsintown a good look.

[Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed before leaving. By the way, the picture is of a Band in my Town called Sweet City Action. If you are ever in Gainesville, give them a listen.]