"Few Niche Music Products Create Profitable Markets"

I came across this quote from Dave Haynes, VP of Business Development for Soundcloud, while reading Billboard.biz today. The article attempted to explain what makes a successful music app in today's over saturated market of developers looking to make "the next Pandora". It explained how despite the passionate efforts of techies, music nerds and "fanatics" most products simply fail because they are not developed with the intent that they will be used by casual fans.

These new and developing apps allow fans to scan their libraries, share their tastes, and report their "musical moments" for other fans to see. However, the article also reports that sometimes a product developed first by music fanatics and then applied to the mainstream can become successful. The article profiles Songkick's new tour tracking app which surpassed 100,000 downloads within the first two weeks along with Shazam and the newer app, Soundtracking--both being used to identify artists and track songs.

It occurred to me while reading that, of course, I fall into the music fanatic category (hell, I am writing a music blog reporting on relatively unknown artists as well as new and developing apps). And yet, which apps do I end up using? Mired in a music technology mess, with developers just looking for the next thing, even as a fanatic I often find that I use Pandora, Spotify and even peruse iTunes singles of the week to easily consume music. This leads me to believe that perhaps these programs are universally popular because they cover so much music and can function the same way for a lover of Top 40 Hits, and a hipster looking to listen to Pitchfork's top staff picks.

But where do apps start? How do the fanatics that develop them distance themselves from the fringe to understand what mainstream consumers want? While the digital realm is new and schools like NYU have even developed a Music Business Major with a concentration in Music Technology, the wave of the future will be the development of easy-to-use yet all-encompassing programs that can appeal to a wide variety of consumers.

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.