The Huffington Post recently shone a spotlight on GigTown, highlighting us as a company that's running with an Uber-like business model!
Since day one, we've constantly kept an eye on how to improve and grow the family that's formed around this little idea of ours and this article emphasizes just how much everyone the GigTown community – fans, artists, venues, events, and more – has supported one another to help transform GigTown everything it can be. Take a look at just how far things have come and know that there's still many more exciting things planned for the future!
Meet GigTown, The Uber For Local Music
by George Beall
For restaurants and bars, one of the most overly complicated tasks is booking local music.
To the Artists of GigTown,
We have some updates about the Check In program, and have a new app feature to announce.
Changes to "CHECK INS" as of August 1st
Musicians everywhere are getting tips for Check Ins at their shows. It's awesome. Musicians have made over $100,000 since we started the tipping program in October of last year. When we first came up with the idea, the Check In program was only intended to last for one weekend. We decided to let it ride as long as artists were willing to participate, and we had the money in our budget to do so. It has been incredible. We've heard inspiring stories from all types of musicians in America, from touring bands to solo artists to jazz pianists and even opera singers. While GigTown has only been around for 18 months, the feedback we've gotten from the local music community has been invaluable as we continue to build new features and grow as a company.
All that being said... our current marketing budget is running out. We had to make a tough decision, but one that will keep the Check In program going for the forseeable future. Starting August 1st, each Check In will be worth $1 across the board - any show, any city in the US. We've been in touch with a few brands that are interested in sponsoring the Check In tips, and we'll be making some announcements about that shortly. In the meantime, there is a new way to make money with GigTown...
FEATURE UPDATE: FANS CAN TIP ARTISTS FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!
Yes, that's right! In the next update, fans will have the ability to send artists a tip and a message, directly through the app. We've included a lot of cool payment options and artists will receive their earnings once a week, along with Check In tips. We'll have a lot more info about this and other cool additions in the next update coming soon.
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It's no secret that we want GigTown's virtual village to get bigger. The whole vision behind our app is a drive focused on helping to connect, and foster relationships between, the people on the ground making live music happen – both here at San Diego headquarters and of course, in cities all around the U.S. The music industry nowadays is so overloaded with bureaucracy, limitations, and a gatekeeper's mentality, that basic concepts like booking shows, can become a production in and of itself!
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