A Resurgence in Live Music Interest? Finally.

This morning, Billboard reported that the 2-week old iPhone app for Songkick, which lets fans know about upcoming concerts for their favorite artists, reached 100,000 activations. In the digital age, Songkick is a valuable tool, allowing users to not only get a jump on buying tickets for their favorite artists, but see what shows their friends are attending or would like to go to. In an era that is all about fast notifications and speedy communication, the app is a natural extension of the site.

By personalizing your "concert calendar" and filtering out concerts for bands that are of the most interest, it is easier than ever to find shows to go to. Information can be further filtered into other people who are going, venues, and festivals. As CEO of Songkick, Ian Hogarth (#soundboy) states plainly that, "if you give fans better information, more personalized information, about upcoming concerts, they will go to more concerts."

It sounds like a pretty simple concept, but with the sheer number of venues even in a particular region, and the various ways each concert is ticketed through the venues, buying tickets can become more trouble than fans are willing to put themselves through. In a world that's about speed and convenience, I believe that Songkick's contribution to the music landscape is a positive one indeed. As I continue to receive personalized emails from the "Soldiers of Songkick" about upcoming shows for the artists that I track, I am more likely to buy a ticket to see the artist live because of the ease with which information can be attained.