Mobile Backstage aims to beat Facebook and MySpace for fan interaction
That’s not necessarily all that newsworthy in itself – there are already plenty of ways for artists to interact with fans online – but what’s perhaps more interesting is that the company claims that its bespoke mobile app, which can be fully branded for each artist/band and runs on iPhone and Java-enabled handsets, beats uber social networks such as Facebook and MySpace in terms of the level of fan interaction and user-generated content.
In trials, Steam Republic says that that it saw 90% of all users regularly post or comment on something within the app, revealing an interaction ratio of 1:46 in comparison to the same artist’s Facebook page (1:780) or MySpace profile (1:20,874). I suspect, however, that this is likely due to the mobile app’s very focused feature set and directness in terms of branding – the artist and fan relationship isn’t lost in a sea of generic social networking – and the fan’s explicit intent in that they bothered to download the app in the first place.
Some of Mobile Backstage’s features include:
- social features that allow fans to interact with each other and the artist to share their experiences
- a content management system for web and mobile that enables artists and labels to post band updates, images, video clips, text updates, tour dates etc.
- integration of content from Twitter and Facebook
- analytics & stats that provide insights into fans and fan activities
- iTunes Music Store integration
- location-based events where fans can ‘check-in’ to gigs using GPS
The Foursquare-esque ‘check-in’ feature seems particularly timely.
In terms of revenue, Stream Republic will charge a one-off fee – around €1,000 for set up and full customisation – and charge a monthly fee to artists/bands/labels. There’s also the opportunity to sell tracks via iTunes, along with concert tickets and merchandise.