This is part 3 of the Boston Music Tech Fest series. Check out parts one and two to find out more about Anthony de Ritis’ Devolution and Aaron Einbonds strange uses of nature samples.
Daniel Adler-Golden (@group_tones_dag) – GroupTones
GroupTones is a promising and fast-growing location-based online community for musicians. The interface consists of a map which is overlaid with icons that signify what a given user is looking for or can do. For instance, red guitars denote, as you may expect, that the person is a guitar player, and green music stands signify that someone is looking to start a band. The interface does a great job of showing the user what’s around him and gives the impression that your next band mate is never far away – the map of Boston for instance, was barely recognizable with all the users lining the streets.
An incredible fact that Adler shared was that, year on year the platform has grown from a few hundred in (starting around 2012) to over 4,000 with total estimated costs spent on advertising sitting at around a meager $500. That’s an astounding return on investment.
In the question and answer segment Adler shared that he hopes to see the platform and his company one day become more lifestyle oriented expanding beyond its current, tighter, music-only focus. He also has a goal of having 125,000 – 500,000 users on the platform down the line – with a service like this, the more people involved, the returns are exponential. The audience clearly felt what he had created was of great use, as they all applauded him for his efforts at bringing the music community closer together.
Check out part 4 in the Boston Music Tech Fest series to learn how Wayne Marshall digs into the value of mashup culture on YouTube.