Have you ever missed a concert you really wanted to see? Even worse, you didn’t realize you missed it until your so-called friends post pics of the show on social media? Don’t you wish they had an app for that? Well you’re in luck, because they most certainly do. An app called Bandsintown keeps you up-to-date on all the concerts you want to see with information right at your fingertips.
Get started by downloading the app on Google Play or Apple iTunes for free. You can login with your Facebook and recommendations for upcoming concerts instantly come up based on musicians you’ve liked. You can also login with your email and the app will ask if you want to connect different accounts you listen to music on, including Spotify, YouTube and iTunes. This will generate concert suggestions based on your music listening history. It can also search your device for music and use that information for recommendations, as well. If you don’t subscribe to any of these services or don’t have music on your phone/tablet — not to worry. Under the “Artists” tab you can customize your recommendations by adding bands to or deleting bands from the list.
When you login to the app for the first time your profile is automatically created and a friends list is generated using your contacts and Facebook friends. You can then invite each other to concerts or keep up with shows they are going to see. If you want to buy tickets to join them, or in general, simply click on “Official Tickets” or “Other Options” and you will be rerouted to where tickets are sold. Last year Bandsintown joined forces with Ticket Master so some shows, like Billy Joel at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Nov. 29, can be purchased within the app.
The app doesn’t just have big names like Joel either, artists range from local garage band’s playing at Kilby Court to Lady Gaga and everything in between. You may hear about stars such as Katy Perry coming to town on the radio, but miss out on a less trendy group playing at Metro Music Hall because they aren’t as well known. Bandsintown doesn’t miss a beat and helps you discover new bands, big names and small.
There are a lot of cool features such as searching for concert by genre, tracking artists directly and the app will even add a concert straight to your calendar when you click “going.”
If you like music at all I highly suggest checking out this app. I have been dreaming of an app like this for years and discovered Bandsintown from classmates here at the University of Utah. Plus, with Christmas just around the corner, it’s a great way to find and buy tickets your loved ones will be thrilled to get, just be sure to not share your purchase and ruin the surprise.