I recently came across Tourbinder and naturally got intrigued as a result of my years of being an agent and tour manager. There should be an easy and affordable way to manage all the planning, scheduling, and execution of a tour from your phone and/or computer. Tourbinder seems to be taking a step in that direction. For more info, check out the video and my interview with Aaron below.
How do you differentiate yourself from Eventric or any other touring software?
We differentiate ourselves in two main ways.
First, we are the only company to offer touring software which will actually route a tour based on where a band’s fans are located. It scours a band’s social networking profiles to figure out where their fanbase is concentrated and generates a tour route that minimizes driving time and maximizes the number of fans in the audience.
In addition to routing, we also provide venue suggestion and contact information for each city. We think this is huge for bands, because it both simplifies and takes the guesswork out of routing tours. Now bands will know that they are going to the cities where they have the strongest fan base, and will know they are playing the right venues for their shows. No other touring software on the market offers bands this advantage. Secondly, we are focusing on making the best possible service for independent and small to mid-level acts.
While we love seeing U2 in a 50,000 cap. stadium, chances are they’re not using an online touring tool like ours, Eventric’s, our anyone else’s. So we didn’t make a tool for U2. We made a tool that is perfect for the common musician, and we priced it to match. Both cofounders of Tourbinder have been in independent bands, and we know that when you don’t have a record label or big sponsor backing you, every dollar counts. Unlike many other tools which have a high barrier of entry (Often up to 50 dollars a month), we are starting out completely free, and plan to never charge more than our bands can afford.
Right now you’re in beta and offering the services for free. How do you plan on monetizing the software in the future?
In March 2011 (Hopefully at SXSW), we will launch out of private beta to the public. At that time, we will introduce a 2-tiered membership plan. Artists will still be able to access parts of the site for free, including basic tour routing and management. However, the fan analytics and more advanced routing system will only be available to premium members, which will require a yearly membership fee.
What are some goals for 2011?
Our biggest goal for 2011 is to have a successful launch out of private beta at SXSW. Funding-wise, we are thus far completely bootstrapped, and believe that taking money should always be Plan Z. If it comes to the point where we need to have a round of seed or angel funding, we would be open to it, but for now it’s 100% bootstrapped, baby!
Also in the future are plans to add a few more features we’ve got cooking for the premium version, and expand our data sources by partnering with even more music and touring websites. We want to provide the most comprehensive understanding of where fans are interacting with bands in every way.
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