Image via Complex Original
The music tech industry is a space to watch right now, especially in terms of the ways they are inventing genius ways to help out independent artists. From crowd-sourced concert photography to visual effects triggered by musical notes, life as an independent musician is getting a whole lot better. And there’s a bonus: Most of these startups are still in the beta phase, which means they cost a lot less to join right now. Plus, you’ll have total bragging rights when they catch on with the mainstream crowd. With that, here are 5 Tech Startups That Are Helping Independent Musicians Be Heard.
Thinkplay
Imagine this at the next show you go to: “For the first time, you could have a DJing guitar player or a dubstep violinist.” Thinkplay really could bring dubstepping violinists to reality (for better or worse) through a new type of software that lets musicians create “ePedals” or electronic virtual effect pedals. Each pedal is triggered to go off when a certain pre-programmed instrument note is played. Enterprising artists can also share and sell their best ePedals via Thinkplay’s online marketplace.
Crowd Album
Played a great gig last night but don’t have the photographic evidence to show for it? Let Crowd Album do that work for you. Simply let them know the name and date of the performance, and Crowd Album will automatically source all the fan photos that were taken at the show and put them into a handy little album that anyone can easily view and share. Now, feel free to stop pausing between songs to whip out your phone and Instagram the crowd.
Soundkeep
Soundkeep is aiming to be like Creative Commons for the music world. Log in here to find music samples and stems that are free to download, share, and use in your own work. Artists can also upload their own stems and samples for feedback from the Soundkeep community before the track is a finished product.
Earbits
There’s Pandora, Spotify, Grooveshark—seems like every time we blink, there’s another free music streaming service available on the Internet. What makes Earbits different is its total commitment to supporting the independent artists it features. Each artist on Earbits gets their own ad-free space where users can find live show information, band merchandise, and all the artist’s social media info. As users support the artists (anything from a retweet to buying a t-shirt) they earn Groovies, which is Earbits currency that can be cashed in for prizes or an upgraded streaming experience.
MusikFly
MusikFly wants to be an independent artist’s PR rep way before they can afford an actual agency. The service connects music bloggers with musicians by recommending new artists based on genre for bloggers to easily check out, cutting through the noise of traditional email pitches.
