Analytics tools help music bands uncover local demand

If a music band’s fans are essentially its customers, it stands to reason that the band should make every effort to understand and please them. That can include maintaining close contact through a band-specific iPhone app or band-management tool, but sometimes, there’s no substitute for good, hard analytics. That’s where Finnish GigsWiz comes in, with tools designed to give bands new insight into where their biggest fans are and what they want to hear. Just launched into beta earlier this month, GigsWiz includes a website, a Facebook application and a software widget. The Facebook app and widget are both for collecting data—specifically, during GigsWiz’s beta period, they’re focused on asking fans, “where do you want us to play live?” The app is designed for the band’s Facebook fan page, while the widget can be installed on the band’s own website or MySpace page. Responses to that question can then be viewed plotted on a map or as charts and lists. Either way, the results show where interest is greatest for a live performance, enabling the band to make better decisions on when and where to play. Not only that, but the data can also help sell gigs to gig organizers, who are more likely to be convinced that the demand will be there. GigsWiz statistics and analytics services are free of charge for artists, agents and promoters. GigsWiz is currently in closed beta, so users must apply for a beta code on the company’s site. It’s a local world out there, and today’s cheap—or free—tools make it relatively easy to amass, regionalize and map out useful data. What other industries or niches could use a little mapmania of their own…? (Related: ‘Sex map’ reveals erotic-spending trends by city — Nightlife mapping tool uses GPS to reveal hotspots — Import/export intelligence service.) Spotted by: John Greene