What is the app that notifies concerts?

Concert notification apps have become increasingly popular in recent years as a way for music fans to stay up-to-date on upcoming shows and tours from their favorite artists. These apps provide timely notifications and alerts about newly announced concerts, helping users discover live events and purchase tickets as soon as they go on sale.
For music lovers, concert notification apps serve as an invaluable resource to find out about shows and secure tickets before they sell out. They provide a convenient central hub to stay on top of concert announcements, rather than having to follow different bands, venues, and promoters individually. As live events continue to drive revenue in the music industry, these apps have emerged to connect artists and fans in real-time.
Some of the most useful features of concert notification apps include customizable notifications based on a user’s specified artists, locations, and genres, listings with key show details like dates, venues, and links to purchase tickets, and real-time alerts when new concerts are announced or tickets go on sale. While different apps may have slight variations in features, their core purpose is to make sure fans don’t miss out on seeing their favorite acts live.
Brief History
The idea for concert notification apps first emerged in the late 2000s as smartphone usage started to grow. In 2008, the website Songkick launched to track artists and get notifications about upcoming shows. This was one of the first concert discovery platforms. Songkick then launched its first mobile app in 2011, allowing users access to concert notifications on the go [1].
Other apps like Bandsintown also launched around this time. In 2013, Bandsintown created an integration with Spotify to make it easier for users to follow artists and get notifications [2]. The key innovation was linking these apps to music platforms so that concert discovery could be more seamless.
As smartphone adoption grew through the 2010s, concert notification apps became quite popular. They tapped into music fans’ desire to stay on top of their favorite artists’ touring schedules and not miss any nearby shows.
Popular Apps
Some of the most popular apps for notifying users about concerts include Bandsintown, Songkick, and Bandsintown. Bandsintown has over 60 million users and allows you to track your favorite artists so you never miss them performing live nearby. The app is available on iOS and Android and sends notifications about upcoming concerts as soon as they are announced. Users can also share concerts with friends and integrate with other apps like Facebook and Spotify.
Songkick takes a similar approach, allowing you to follow artists and get notifications for nearby shows. It has touring information for over 1 million artists and 550,000 concerts per year. You can buy tickets directly in the app and even get recommendations for new artists to check out based on your listening history. Songkick is available across mobile and desktop platforms.
These apps make it easy for music fans to stay up to date on concerts so they never miss seeing their favorite bands and artists live. With robust artist databases and integration with ticketing platforms, they provide a seamless concert going experience.
Key Features
Some of the most useful features of concert notification apps are their ability to connect directly to your favorite music platforms to track your favorite artists, automatically notify you about upcoming shows nearby, and integrate with your calendar to avoid schedule conflicts. For example, Songkick Concerts syncs with music services like Spotify to populate your favorites and gets notifications any time those artists announce a new tour or show dates in your city. The app sends customizable alerts so you never miss a concert from the bands you love. It also integrates with your calendar so you can easily see if you have conflicts before getting tickets. Other apps like Bandsintown offer similar auto-tracking of artists with notifications of newly announced tour dates. Overall, these key features of automatic tracking, notifications, and calendar integration make concert discovery incredibly seamless.
Customization
To get the most relevant concert notifications, many apps allow you to customize alerts based on your location, favorite genres, and specific artists. For example, in the Songkick app you can add your home city so you don’t miss upcoming shows near you (source). Songkick and Bandsintown let you pick your favorite genres like rock, pop, or hip hop to prioritize related concerts (source). Most apps, including Ticketmaster, Shazam, and Bandsintown, allow you to follow your favorite musicians so you only get notifications about their events (source). By customizing app settings to match your location, musical tastes, and artist preferences, you can ensure you receive timely and relevant alerts about nearby concerts you’ll actually want to attend.
Discoverability
Concert discovery apps focus on helping users find new artists and concerts to attend. Features like personalized recommendations and browsing upcoming shows in your area make it easy to discover new music experiences.
For example, Apple Music uses algorithms to recommend relevant artists and shows based on your listening history and location (Apple Music introduces concert discovery features. (2023). Retrieved from https://artists.apple.com/support/5305-concert-discovery-features). Bandsintown also suggests local concerts and allows browsing by date and venue (Bandsintown Concerts. (2023). Google Play Store. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bandsintown&hl=en_US&gl=US).
Concert discovery apps tap into live music enthusiasm by connecting users to artists and events they may not have found on their own. Features like personalized recommendations help users expand their musical tastes and find their next favorite band.
Accessibility
Concert and event apps can make it easier for people with disabilities to attend and enjoy shows. Features like detailed venue maps showing accessible entrances, routes, seating, and amenities help fans plan their experience. Apps may also integrate with other accessibility services like providing live captioning or audio descriptions for blind and low vision users (Source). Some apps allow fans to request accommodations directly through the platform. Overall, mobile technology gives venues and organizers new tools to share critical access information with attendees and meet requests.
Integrated services through apps provide more independence and confidence for disabled concertgoers. Fans can verify ahead of time if a venue is truly accessible for their needs. For many, just knowing key details in advance removes a major barrier to attendance. Features that connect fans directly with venues also facilitate better communication of individual access requirements. By leveraging technology to share information and handle requests, concerts and live events can become more inclusive spaces.
User Experience
The key goal of concert apps is to provide an intuitive and easy to use interface so users can quickly find events, purchase tickets, and get the information they need. According to a concert app UX case study, simplicity for all users is critical. The app design should make it effortless for music enthusiasts to discover concerts and book tickets for their favorite artists. Another case study found that minimizing steps and friction in the booking process improves user experience. Features like customized recommendations and notifications also enhance usability by proactively bringing relevant events to the user’s attention.
Privacy
Concert notification apps access sensitive information about users, including location data, contacts, calendar events, and more. As such, privacy protections are paramount.
According to Live Nation’s privacy policy (https://livenation-us.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10464047306641-Live-Nation-Entertainment-Privacy-Policy), the company collects personal information such as name, contact details, payment information, location data, and content you provide. However, they state that this information is only collected with consent, used for the purposes disclosed, and not shared with third parties without permission.
Other concert apps like 100Pilabs (https://100pilabs.com/am-privacypolicy.html) also outline their data usage, storage, and sharing policies. They emphasize collecting only necessary user data with consent, retrieving it upon user request, and not sharing it without explicit approval.
Overall, reputable concert notification apps are transparent about their data practices and allow users to control how their information is used. Features like opt-in permissions, minimized data collection, and data encryption protect user privacy.
The Future
Concert notification apps continue to improve and innovate with new features. Some potential future developments include:
Integration with virtual reality and augmented reality to provide more immersive concert experiences and previews from home. For example, apps could let users view the stage and crowd during a live show in VR.
More personalized recommendations and notifications based on music listening history, favorite artists, and past concert attendance. This could help users discover more relevant nearby shows.
Expanded tour alerts beyond just concerts, such as for comedy shows, festivals, and other live events. This provides a broader range of entertainment options.
Integration with rideshare apps to coordinate transportation to and from concerts. This streamlines the concert-going experience.
Partnerships with vendors for special concert deals on merchandise, concessions, and upgrades. Exclusive offers could add more value to the app experience.
While current apps excel at notifying users about concert dates, future possibilities are endless for enhancing the connection between fans and live music events.