Bander is an iOS app for both iPad and iPhone that gamifies music discovery while connecting indie artists and music listeners. Artists are offered free profiles and opportunities to sell their music via iTunes. Listeners get free streaming and free promotional tracks. Deciding whether or not the platform is worth the exchange is now a regular decision for artists and their teams in the discovery economy. VIDEO:
Bander for iPad
Musicsoft Arts' Bander mobile app is free for both iPad and iPhone.
Listeners are drawn by free streaming of indie tracks and free tracks if they like the band that wins a weekly contest. Musicians have the opportunity to promote their music and be featured in the Hit or Miss Channel? contest.
Whether such platforms are real promo opportunities depends on the community that develops. If they get deeply involved that increases the chances of Bander becoming a fan development tool and possibly a vehicle for selling some tracks.
While Bander does seem like a plausible route into the mobile world as part of a larger strategy, I'd suggest waiting and seeing if it gathers a critical mass of listeners before focusing targeted effort.
Bander creator Musicsoft Arts will be presenting at midemlab in January.
Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at Flux Research and blogs at All World Dance and This Business of Blogging. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
