Calling All Bands for iPhone Beta Testing

A few months ago, Steve from North Carolina State University contacted me about an iPhone application he and some friends are building for bands. He wanted some feedback from people entrenched in the music scene so I had a phoner with him on my thoughts in what bands might be interested in.

Since then, Steve has been working hard to perfect the iPhone app, now named Sound Around. If you're a band and interested in taking part in beta testing (you'll get a free iPhone app!) e-mail me and I'll send you the site and access code. For more information, you can read all about Sound Around below.

Sound Around is a platform for bands to create their own individual iPhone applications. It's a lot like creating a Myspace page — sign up, upload your content, and manage/update that content as time goes on. This gives fans a way to access your songs, videos, photos, news posts, and show schedule from their mobile phone. In addition, they can integrate Twitter accounts so they can see what the band is tweeting and what other people are saying about the band.

The application allows you to link songs and albums to iTunes and makes it easy to buy music on the go. If someone is at a show and likes the song you just played, they can hop on your iPhone app and buy it on the spot. Fans can also take advantage of "push notifications." Two weeks before and the night before a show, fans within a 50 mile radius of the venue will receive a message letting them know you're going to be in town.

These are just a few features Sound Around can offer. If you're interested in testing it out, feel free to e-mail me.