onseeker™ music blog

Music Needs Mobile [2 0f 3]

2009-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Why should artists and venues go mobile?

It's a frontier that makes connecting to those around them even easier. Plain and simple.

No more waiting for people to get home to see the lastest e-mail blast, or myspace.com page update. Gone are the days that artists would be found stapling their flyers to telephone poles, now artists can post bulletins in the virtual world. BUT that's still not enough - for fans to get those bulletins they still have to be tethered to their computers. Mobile provides a way out.

We're a world of hyper-connected people now. We want everything to be in our pocket, and everyone should follow suit. This is where everyone is going, and anyone who wants to stay connected should join in. It's the smartphone revolution:

Check e-mail on the go. Update your twitter status. Find a local restaurant. Play a quick game of skee-ball (my personal favorite). Oh, and you can also make phone calls sometimes.

It's imperative that artists and venues don't miss the boat on this one - like many of them did with the social network explosion of the past mid-to-late decade - for three main reasons:

Going Mobile builds a continued and connected fan/customer base
It allows for instant communication and the viral spread of information
For the most part, its cost effective, and easy to setup and maintain

But where can artists and venues go to build this mobile community? Sprouting up all around us are very unique opportunities for artists/venues to begin to stay connected on the mobile frontier but which one is the best for them?

Next: 3 0f 3 The How

Music Needs Mobile [1 of 3]

2009-11-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

1 of 3...The WHAT

Recently i've been trying to discover how to communicate with every artist/band and venue out there that it's vital to their continued (or up and coming) success to have a mobile presence.
It has been difficult.

Based on the less than hoped for response to something as innovative as mobile applications, I started to wonder if it's not the product I needed to worry about, but rather the educational/informational aspect of letting them know the WHAT and WHY before shedding light on the HOW:

WHAT on earth has happened:

Over the past few years, consumers have site-hopped from social network to social network - from infancy (geocities/xanga) to more exposed, developed forms of mass-adoption (friendster/myspace/facebook). These "social hopping" trends haven't slowed down, and now we adopt a new network about every two years, and once we're done with them, they die slow, painful deaths...

As an example, many venues still haven't jumped onto the "myspace bandwagon" and that bandwagon broke down months ago. Until now, most of the venues out there haven't even adopted social networks (or websites) as a meaningful way to engage customers and patrons. Looking for a venue? You may find a map and outdated phone number when typing it into google. If you're lucky.

This has posed a serious threat to artists and venues looking to stay FULLY connected to their customers and fans. Fans jump - so why don't we? The trend is almost robotic in nature:

Build a new profile > Grow a fanbase > Use it for a while > Forget to update it for 6 months > Finally move on to the next social network (after much begging and pleading) > Forget to delete ye old profile page (it's too much of a hassle) > Start over on your new network...again!

Does that seem like the best, most effective way of getting close to the demanding consumers that fans and customers have grown into?

Nope.

Remember, we're talking about musicians and venues here. Musicians are looking for a larger, more connected fan base, higher music and swag sales (and distribution), and dynamic, viral growth (in no specific order). Venues are concerned with bringing more patrons through their engaging, unique locale - and that being a catalyst to additional revenue. Following social network trends is good (because they should always be connected in some form or fashion), but social networks weren't designed to be the end-all-be-all marketing solution for our generations musicians and venues.

Then, almost out of nowhere, the mobile revolution lands on our digital doorstep. It's so innovative that most people drool over the prospects of using amazing little pocket gizmos as a "new frontier" of technology. For most, it offers a fresh perspective and a unique approach to connecting with people around us.

It gives the artists of our new "no-label" society the opportunity of a lifetime - and venues have a clear opportunity to use location based services to their advantage.

NEXT: 2 0f 3...THE WHY

onseeker music 2.0 is LIVE

2009-10-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

We have some exciting news...

onseeker music 2.0 is now live on the app store!

The new version includes many new and improved features to the existing content you'll find on the onseeker music iPhone app.

Our team wanted this version of the app to start turning heads and getting some attention...in the live music world.

We've talked with artists (and bands) that spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on individual apps that have less than, or around the same features we offer them with our all-inclusive app - but for a fraction of the cost. onseeker music wasn't designed to be a super luxury for artists/venues to have a mobile presence (as it seems from other app developers prices) - but to be a formidable asset in their marketing and fan connection arsenal, without breaking their bank accounts while doing so. We think we've gotten to that place with version 2.0:

Artists can now sell their merchandise including their music and swag, along with full albums, right from their profile. When fans SHARE the artists song while listening to it - it includes the link to purchase the song in the e-mail or facebook connect.

Livenation Feeds were also dang important to get on our app ASAP. Now fans can find thousands of concerts around their area instantly, and purchase tickets from Livenation.com without leaving the app.

Now that 2.0 is live, we're working diligently on version 2.1 which will have even more features fans, artists and venues - as well as working on some innovative ways to make onseeker music the one stop shop for musicians - beyond just mobile connectivity...

Download the FREE application for your iPhone or iPod touch HERE

The Waiting Game..

2009-10-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

That's what we're doing around here...waiting (but we're working at the same time - don't worry). We've submitted onseeker™ music 2.0 to apple, and now we're waiting to see what happens. It's been pending (or "in review") for the past week, and we cannot wait to see how our fans (users of the app) and artists react to the new features.

Now however, it's just a waiting game...we haven't made bets around the office about when it'll be approved (we're not much of the betting type) but hopefully it will happen soon.

We've heard rumors and mumbles about the app review crew over at apple. Here are some of the best ones I've heard:

Steve Jobs locked them in a steel room and won't let them out until the approve 100,000 apps.
The room that they use to approve apps was loaned to the x-men crew to use as the "Magneto Prison" - and then quickly returned to apple to re-fortify before the launch of the iPhone.
To save on their carbon footprint (by not having additional facilities), apple selects unsuspecting victims at random on the street, asks them if they like candy, and asks them to hit "approve all" on a laptop (similar to how Jim Carrey did it in "Bruce Almighty".
They're all apple robots, and have no soul (because they're robots)
Chuck Norris punched a computer - causing it to approve or deny iPhone apps at random. Apple still cannot figure out how to duplicate this process.

Whatever the case, they have tons of work ahead of them...

I've just finished up designs for version 2.1 which we've codenamed project "self...ish". It's focused on giving you what you want, when you want it...and it will be an exciting leap forward for our product.

Stay tuned for onseeker™ music 2.0

Alpha test is complete

2009-09-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alright, we have a pretty tight deadline: October 1. By that time we should have our new update in the hands of apples 40 person app approval staff. We've done our alpha test, and are now moving into our company wide beta test...today (company wide isn't saying much since we have less than 10 employees).

We are STOKED about this new update, mostly because it truly solidifies the ability for artists to make money back from using it. Selling swag and music is how they make money anyways (for the most part). We would like to make it dang easy for artists to continue to make money - but through a different medium that hasn't been fully tapped into before. Because we're committed to making this as cost effective as possible, they keep 100% of what sell. Which means they're on an iPhone app, selling merch, gaining fans, and keeping in touch. Sounds like a win win..

Coming in the next version (after 2.0)

["2.1" will be fan focused]

-"Project Self...ish" (we have to keep the lid tight on this one...sorry)

Development Phases and more!

2009-09-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

We're going to go alpha test our new version of the app (2.0).
What the heck is an "Alpha test"? Here's the breakdown:

===
Development - If we ask to test during this stage, we'll get a swift punch to the face.
Alpha test - The first test of newly developed hardware or software in a laboratory setting.
Beta test - A test of new or revised hardware or software that is performed by users at their facilities under normal operating conditions.
Final Product - The update is...live (duh) and all the kinks are worked out...
===
...thanks PCmag.com

Wow, over the past few days, Musicians have started to join onseeker™ music quickly! It's great to see that bands really do see how easy it is to be on the iPhone...in just minutes!

Anyway, we're getting close to our 2.0 release, and our team is really excited about it. We're also working on some other things that will make our app overflow with features, but at the same time make it WAY easier to navigate. Our main focus right now is getting artists, venues, promoters, record labels, managers and anyone else involved in live music (the stagehand even?) to see the benefits of our application to them!

-Frank
Director of Communications

We're always refining....

2009-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

We've been making some refinements to our registration process, to make it even easier to try out our app:

Register quickly, and without the need of a credit card! We've also bumped up the trial period to 60 days, instead of 30.

Load your content, and have it display LIVE on the application (since it's already on the iTunes app store). Don't pay for it until the end of your trial period (and if you don't want to pay for it at all you'll be able to use our ENTIRE platform all the way up until the day your trial expires).

That way, you can truly see if it's something you'll be interested in spending your money on, without the need to enter your credit card info in at the start.

The next great marketing tool for artists and venues has arrived. Try it out right NOW.

Our next phase

2009-09-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hey! We are more than excited for our next phase of development. What's coming down the pipeline? I'll give you a weekly update of what we're doing, to keep you in the loop...

Merchandise Purchasing: Fans will now be able to buy swag (t-shirts, pens, stickers, random things that bands sell) and full albums right from the iPhone through onseeker™ music. Think of it as a virtual storefront. Fans will be able to preview the items, and buy albums directly through iTunes OR wherever artists have their music online. They keep 100% of everything they sell.

iTunes integration: Okay, so your listening to a song on the app, and want to buy it right then and there. Tap the link on the audio player to jump right to the song on the iTunes store - on your iPhone...really fast.

Facebook Connect: Welcome to the 21st century! Share everything through the worlds most popular social network. Find a new band? Want to share a new show detail? Do it all quickly, and seamlessly through our Facebook Connect portal.

E-Mail sharing: So, you found something cool you would like to share with friends and family over e-mail. Everything you'd like to share - from your playlist to a new show, can now be shared!

This update will be pushed to the app store in early October. Future updates will include:

-Homepage refresh
-Enhanced browsing
-Enhanced Shows tab
-"Mega Venue" Profiles
-"Friends" tab to discover new music
-User interface updates

===

A few artists onseeker:

Taylor Swift
Rascal Flatts
Lee Brice
Elise Davis
TCT
Funklord
Emerson Drive
Reba
...and many more

Download the app now: http://bit.ly/CxJav

Who we are//Who we are not

2009-08-06T12:58:00.001-07:00

It's hard to describe something as new as onseeker™ music.

We're not a social network, but have some social network functionality, like Feeds and Comments (and soon twitter and facebook connect).

We're not an analytics engine, but we do provide analytics and fan trends to artists and venues on their admin profiles.

We're not an advertising agency, or a marketing corporation, but we allow for both thing to happen at once on our application for artists and venues.

We aren't a "streaming music" service like Pandora or Jango, but we do offer users the ability to playlist their favorite songs...or listen to the "onseeker™ Playlist for music discovery".

We aren't solely a "concert finding app" yet you can find local shows, RSVP for them (receive e-mail reminders) buy tickets, and get directions...all in one place.

We aren't google, but we have powerful browse/search features to find practically anything on the application, from types of videos published by artists, to genre specific music discovery.

We aren't totally crazy, but our application is FREE (so we might be).

The mobile evolution meets the music revolution at onseeker™ music.

Artists | Get your artistry on the iPhone
---
Venues | Get your business on the iPhone

Should musicians build custom mobile apps or use onseeker™ music?

2009-07-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

While we agree that it's vital that musicians have a presence on hand-held devices, it may not be in musicians best interests to build custom applications for their fans. Musicians can build custom apps through certain companies - but, consider for a moment the benefits of an application that is a cross-platform marketing tool that includes ALL artists and venues in one place:

Other Guys: You'll spend between $99-$400 on "set up fees"
US: With onseeker™ music there is no "set up fee"

Your fans will have an app for each band they like. Adding more work for them to go in and out of multiple apps to find info about bands.
onseeker™ music can house millions of bands in one place, and with favoriting tools at your fans disposal, you won't get lost in the mix.

Per-month subscriptions are between $30-$50 to "maintain your app"
at onseeker™ music you pay 9.95 per month as an artist and 19.95 as a venue.

Get provided with statistics for a "premium fee".
onseeker™ music provides you with specific, targeted statistics/metrics/and a two part rating system (star ratings/scorecards) at NO additional fee.

Your app is on the iPhone/iPod Touch.
onseeker™ is currently developing for Google Android and the Palm Pre (and are already on the iPhone/iPod touch)...which will bring your artistry to the palm of millions of additional fans with NO additional price.

Only your fans download your app.
With onseeker™ music You go to the crowd. Being on our app brings more potential for you to be found by random fans, and to grow your fanbase. Don't just preach to the choir.

If your an artist or venue build your custom profile on the onseeker™ platform HERE.

Then download the FREE iPhone app HERE to view your profile.

The Backstory...

2009-07-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Since 1999 the internet has done a great job of connecting people through social networking sites...but users jump from site to site to site (sticking around for about two years at each one) without looking back.

Artists and venues have had to play catchup with their fans making these progressive switches to "better" sites, unintentionally spreading themselves too thin, and not having any fully established a solid presence in one place.

That was the past. onseeker™ music is the future. Find out more @ onseekermusic.com

our first post!

2009-07-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

music needs to be mobile...