Music Scout

Posted on | January 11, 2010 | 2 Comments

I had contacted Duncan Freeman in October when I was organizing the SoundCtrl CMJ Panel, so he could talk about Band Metrics.  For one reason or another, it never worked out, but I still read his blog.  His most recent post discusses a new venture of his called Music Scout.

“Essentially, Music Scout is location-aware mobile music app for the Android and iPhone that enables music enthusiasts to express their thoughts and sentiments about the band they’re watching in real-time directly from the venue.”

My initial thoughts:

• I’m no programming wizard, but he might have been better off grabbing the Twitter API and filter it onto a unique application using the hashtag #musicscout or #[bandname]MS (ie #thexxms or #animalcollectivems).  Duncan, if you’re reading, had you thought about doing that?
• This would be great for festivals like CMJ, SXSW, Bonnaroo, or New Orleans Jazz Fest especially with multiple shows going on at once.
• It reminded me somewhat of the Stew Art Series that Umphrey’s McGee put together.  In this experiment powered by Mozes, selected uber-fans were invited to send SMS texts containing a specific style or music scenario that they wanted UM to improvise to.  Music Scout is more about intra-fan discussion whereas S2 is about the direct fan-musician connection.  Therefore, if Music Scout could insert the musician into the equation, it could be reeeeally exciting.  For clarification on S2, see video below.

It’s too soon (especially since it’s in Beta) to see if Music Scout will stick, but check it out here and feel free to email Duncan if you have questions or comments about the application.  Also, I don’t have a Droid or iPhone, so comment below on your experience.

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