Mobile Roadie Invades SXSW
posted by Nicole Jordan
Before we get to all our SXSW activities there’s a few things you might not know about Mobile Roadie.
One short year ago we officially launched our company and initial product (”iPhone Apps for Bands”) at SXSW Music with the support of our launch partner, The Orchard.
We immediately gained traction within music and entertainment to support their expanding needs to promote and build brands, engage direct-to-fan, and make use of existing promotional content (Facebook, Twitter, video, ticket sales/tour info, news, merchandise, etc.)
Then a church called. And then an author. And soon restaurants, politicians, venues, athletes, magazines, conferences, bloggers, and more.
Some of the customers in the Mobile Roadie family now include:
- -Sony
- -Warner
- -KROQ
- -Warner
- -Universal
- -EMI
- -MIDEM
- -Taylor Swift
- -William Morris Endeavor (WmE2)
- -Golden Globes
- -Madonna
- -Random House
- -Ashton Kutcher
- -Dolly Parton
- -Levi’s
- -Live Nation
- -Fillmore
- -MASSIVEGOOD
- -The Doors
Not too shabby for the one year, right? And we haven’t even mentioned our partners yet.
To help make our CMS even more robust we integrated with leading providers in their respective industries:
Mobile Roadie has also become a global brand with customers all over the world, which is why we offer support for 10 languages. We’re also the only company on the market to be able to serve both iPhone and Android needs, simultaneously, with no extra work or investment.
Michael attributes part of the rapid adoption to bringing democratization to the entire mobile space and giving control back to the brands. “Apps that were easy, affordable and quality we’re out of reach to those who wanted it. Now everyone can have high quality at low cost and you don’t have to choose between iPhone and Android.”
We’ve collected a lot of stories the past year through our stellar customers and can’t wait to share them at SXSW. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to hear them through the myriad of events we’re involved with.
How’s this for a SXSW SCHEDULE:
I’ll be getting in on Friday (@nicolejordan) so give me a shot (I’d meant to type “shout” but that works too) if you want to connect. Brock (@brocksteady) and Michael (@msfd) get in Sunday the 14th for the first of our official events, TECH Cocktail where we’ll be demo’ing the Mobile Roadie platform and apps as one of the Microsoft Bizspark Accelerator finalists. Come on by and pick up a custom designed, vinyl-inspired shirts.
Monday the 15th you can catch us at Microsoft Bizspark Accelerator stage, where Michael will be presenting at 5:00pm in the social-business category. Later that evening we’re co-sponsoring events with TechKaraoke and Katalyst/Foursquare.
On Tuesday the 16th, to close out interactive and ease into music we’ve partnered up with two epic events: theMIX agency’s #theparty and (mt) official SXSW closing party.
If you’re hitting up music, join our team along with Topspin Media, All Access Today and PIAS on Thursday, March 18th at The Belmont from 7:00-10:00pm.
We’re also proud to announce that we’re the official app and co-sponsors for two must-attend showcases at SXSW Music: Levi’s Fader Fort and Ninjatune.
It’s going to be a packed schedule between the sessions, meetings, our events, and all the others we attend along the way. But we’ve got a lot to say and can’t wait to get started. See you soon!
Doh! How could I forget this extremely important detail about our involvement at SXSW? We are very proud sponsors of fellow Angelenos, and kindred start-up spirits, TechZulu. They’ll be camped out at the Social Media Clubhouse most the time but if you’re lucky you might catch ‘em around the show or at any of our events!
APPetite for Construction: MoRo SXSW grafx preview
posted by brocksteadyHere’s a little preview of the promo campaign we’re hitting Austin with next week at SXSW.
The theme: “APPetite for Construction” is without a doubt a reference to your favorite band — but we felt like going a little more retro/funk with our graphics by playing off old 45rpm record labels.
The design was created in collaboration with Dan Funderburgh, who’s one of the hottest wallpaper/pattern designers in NYC (not to mention a fellow Jayhawk). And since there seems to be a huge talent pool coming out of Lawrence, KS, we printed our shirts at the spectacular Blue Collar Distro, where they used a discharge printing process to lock in the vintage feel. In the end, I hope we accomplished our goal of trying to be as “un-nerdy” as possible! #yeahright
We’ll be giving away shirts and stickers to people that give us love, so look for us in Austin next week! (Our full schedule will be posted soon so you can see all the events we’re attending.)
Taylor Swift App Goes to the Top of The Charts!
posted by Michael Arcand
In right at 72 hours (at the time of this writing) the newly released Taylor Swift iPhone App has shot to the top of the charts in Apple’s App Store. Right now the app sits at position number six, just one slot away from being in the top five iPhone free apps! There are already over 1,000 total ratings with an average of three-and-a-half stars, with a total of 109 reviews written. While we’ve had some serious gains in the app store before for Mobile Roadie apps, this one takes the cake, rising to the highest ranking of any of our apps to date. And this isn’t even counting Swift’s app on the Android platform, which has gone live as well.
Playing around with the app today myself, I have to say that the interactive features are sweet. Not only can you read Swift’s tweets directly on the app, you can comment and read other’s comments as well. But that’s not the half of it! Let’s say you’re going to the concert in Dallas, Texas, on March 11th … you can connect with other fans going to the concert, post comments and discuss the event and even share photos from the concert, all directly from the app. There are also 30 tunes you can sample (some are ringtones), share comments with other users about, and decide if you want to purchase them (also directly from the app, of course!).
Of course, congratulations go out to Big Machine Records and Taylor Swift, the real reasons behind the success of this app launch! Their promotional efforts have paid off, and in a big way. We’re happy to be the platform for the official Taylor Swift app, and we wish her and Big Machine continued success as she continues to engage her fans through the medium of mobile technology. After all, we told you it’s the wave of the future!
“Cookie Cutter” apps and Mobile Roadie
posted by Michael Schneider (Mobile Roadie CEO)There’s been a lot of chatter lately on Apple changing guidelines for so called “cookie cutter” apps. TechCrunch, PC Magazine, and MacRumors all have reported in the last week on this so called “purge” of the app store.
First, let’s define “cookie cutter.” This refers to apps that follow the same template over and over. It also applies to apps that just pull in feeds that have no business being apps in the first place.
I’m not going to comment on specific competitors, but I believe as a result of the recent changes at Apple many of them will be out of business. The ones that are left are going to have to step it up, which is a good thing for the app store, for our business, and for consumers.
Mobile Roadie is not cookie cutter in any way. While we may provide a template, it’s a highly customizable template. Our customers can rename and reorder tabs any way they’d like. They can upload custom graphics and media, and of course content, to further differentiate their app. And they have the option of baking in custom features if they’d like from any outside developer they want.
I want to reassure our customers and partners that everything going on right now is a good thing for consumers and for Mobile Roadie. We are well positioned to adapt to ever changing standards, and this doesn’t hurt our business long term – it enhances it.
Taylor Swift Joins the Mobile Roadie App Family
posted by Michael Arcand
She took the Grammys by storm and now it’s time for Taylor Swift to take over the iTunes store (again) and make her mark in Android. Starting today the much anticipated Taylor Swift app is now live and available for both iPhone and Android users.
The Taylor Swift app takes advantage of the versatility of the Mobile Roadie platform, creating an interactive experience for her fans. The application is enabled with push notification so that any time Taylor releases new music (both to sample and to purchase directly from within the app), videos or photos (and more), fans will be instantly updated directly on their iPhones. Fans can also see all of Taylor’s most up-to-date tour information, find and connect with other Taylor fans in their area as well as share their personal photos from Taylor shows with other fans in the application’s network.
Many of these features are easily configured by Taylor Swift and her team because they are using the Mobile Roadie content management system. Instead of requiring each and every change to go through a series of requests, designs, re-designs, etc., we provide a simple way for our customers to modify and organize their application’s functions and menus to their specifications. And with the Android platform now on board as well, it’s literally as easy as pie to keep your mobile app up-to-date with fresh material and to notify your fans or customers using push notifications.
Want it? Get it here.
Why Mobile Roadie? Ask Drew McLellan
posted by Michael ArcandWe like to hear good news, especially when it comes from our customers. We recently worked on an application for Drew McLellan, a 20 year marketing veteran who founded his own company, McLellan Marketing Group, in 1995. His list of achievements is long and his list of clients he’s worked with is almost like a listing of the Fortune 500, with names like Nabisco, IAMS, Kraft and John Deere. So when Drew got ready to launch out into the arena of smartphone apps, he decided to do his homework.
McLellan called up his mentor and coach to help him in the process, and together they evaluated four different application vendors that could provide an off the shelf system to meet Drew’s needs. His list of things he wanted was demanding: customization, easy to use content management system, multi-platform support (for Android), push functionality, customizable navigation folders, sharing with Facebook and Twitter; and the list goes on! It was a pretty tough list of requirements, but out of the four vendors he considered, Mobile Roadie was the only one to meet all of these requirements. When it came right down to it, his only sticking point was the price.
If you’ve done some shopping around, then let’s face it – Mobile Roadie isn’t the cheapest player in the ballpark. And there’s a reason for that. We believe in delivering a quality product with excellent support and enabling our users to take charge of their applications. In short, we believe you really do get what you pay for.
So what was the deciding factor for Drew? Here’s what he had to say on his blog regarding his decision to go with Mobile Roadie:
In the end, despite the higher cost — I decided on Mobile Roadie. They offered more customization and the ability for me to really include a wider variety of content in my app. But it was their content management system that really won me over.
So if you’re getting ready to partner up with a vendor to produce an application for your customer’s mobile experience, be sure you weigh all your options before you go with the cheapest name in the book.
It’s time to take mobile seriously
posted by Michael Schneider (Mobile Roadie CEO)I meet a lot of people every day in a wide variety of positions in companies. Some people get it, and some people don’t.
Morgan Stanley predicts that within five years, more people will connect to the internet via a mobile device than via desktop PCs. This is game changing for everyone.
Lack of mobile friendly shopping experiences
It’s unbelievable that big companies still don’t prioritize making a mobile version of their ecommerce site. Just do it, stop wondering if it’s worth it. I know several Fortune 500 companies that do tens of millions of dollars a year in ecommerce business that don’t even have it in their long term plan.
Carrier billing is a con
Carriers need to get over themselves. No one is going to give them 50% just to have the privilege of having the charge billed to the consumer’s cell phone bill. Apple and Google take 30% for purchases through their store. That’s a lot, but they’re also providing a lot of value. Carriers are providing less value and charging nearly double. If carriers got smart, they would reduce carrier billing to 5% and start taking business from credit card companies.
Your mobile strategy needs resources
Don’t get an app to just have an app. You’d never get a website and then not maintain it, right? Mobile is just as important if not more. Give your mobile customers exclusive content. Update the app and your mobile website often. Engage with customers where they are (huge advantage of mobile vs. desktop).
Flattening world
In many countries around the world, there are more people connecting to the web through mobile devices than desktops. This is mostly due to economic reasons – but is extremely powerful in reaching demographics you might never be able to reach if you just have a website.
Bottom line
Apps and mobile are here to stay, and the opportunity is real. Don’t slack. Grab the bull by its horns and go for it. You won’t regret it and frankly don’t have a choice (your competitors are making a move). It’s time to take mobile seriously.
Mobile Roadie Apps Hit Android
posted by Michael Arcand
You’ve been asking for it, and we’re ready to deliver. We’ve been planning on producing apps for Android users for some time, and now we can finally let the cat out of the bag. So who are the first users to have Mobile Roadie apps on both the iPhone and Android systems?
None other than Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and Dolly Parton (with Taylor Swift coming soon!). That’s right, four of the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry today are powering their online app presence on multiple platforms via Mobile Roadie.
You might say, “So what? What’s so special about that?” Here’s the big deal – Mobile Roadie is the first platform that allows anyone to create and manage their own Android App in minutes with no programming knowledge required. Additionally, customers will be able to use Mobile Roadie’s content management system (CMS) to simultaneously make updates to both their iPhone and Android Apps. This empowers our users to take control in a way never before imagined by everyday people, musicians and entertainers. Building a brand image on both platforms has never been easier, and now you don’t have to make a choice between one or the other.
So why does Dolly Parton use the Mobile Roadie platform? Parton has always been a pioneer in the music and entertainment industry, and she doesn’t want to get left behind now. In fact, she’s got fans ranging in age from under 20 to over 50 downloading her iPhone app. Who else can say that? Her plans for using the platform include sharing un-released photos and promoting her events if she decides to go back on tour.
In fact, here’s what Dolly Parton had to say about Mobile Roadie’s services:
My first phone was two tin cans tied together with string, and it worked pretty good. But now you can watch TV, download music and surf the web from your phone. Sure beats smoke signals. I never thought in my lifetime, that you’d be able to watch movies, read books and listen to music from a phone, but I guess the technology of tomorrow is here today. And to think that folks will be able to watch my Video Diaries and listen to my music on the go is just fantastic. I think it’s great that Mobile Roadie has made it so simple for my fans to keep up with everything I got going on, and who knows, I may even learn how to use it.
So what are you waiting for? Find out more about our multiple-platform services by taking our tour and view all of our live apps here. Don’t miss out on the easiest way to manage your brand image on both of the most popular smartphone systems around.
Mobile Roadie: Powering Conferences & Events
posted by Nicole Jordan
We’re seeing a big trend for 2010 over here. In addition to brands, artists, celebrities, and athletes signing up with Mobile Roadie, there’s significant interest in our platform from conferences, tradeshows and music
festivals.
Which makes a lot of sense. Mobile Roadie Apps unite a disparate audience and what’s more disparate than thousands of people converging on one location for a number of days? There’s bound to be people you’d love to
connect with — if you knew they were there. Or the desire to keep track of those impromptu meet-ups we’re prone to throwing.
Conference organizers and event promoters are increasingly turning to Mobile Roadie’s self-serve platform to quickly and easily build content-rich apps that promote their event, highlight speakers, connect attendees, incorporate the schedule, and sell tickets – among many other creative uses that are starting to emerge (hello video!)
Conference participants love being able to connect directly with the event and with each other as well as easily push Twitter and Facebook updates directly through the App using the viral tools.
LeWeb and Midem are great early adopter case studies that indicate the vast potential to use mobile to connect and communicate with a very targeted group of like-interested people. The LeWeb app marked the first time Ustream had been built into a third party application and was downloaded over 6,000 times, more than the total amount of attendees (check out TechCrunch’s interview.) The Midem app had equally strong adoption, also with over 6,000 downloads (see a demo of the app here.)
As a marketer, these are incredibly powerful statistics. If you’re a organizer or event promoter in this digital age you have to keep in mind the audience that is with you physically and the audience that is not but wishes it were. The ability to watch live streams on the desktop has become enough of a norm that we will also see this move to mobile. Imagine a population not attending the conference but walking around a different city and still
participating. It’s awesome.
Which leads to the inspiration for the post – The Future of Web Apps in Miami happening Monday, February 22nd – Wednesday 24th. This is a three-day event designed for forward-looking web application developers, entrepreneurs and leading industry figures. You better believe it when we say the standards for this group are pretty high. Which is why we were thrilled when they deemed Mobile Roadie the best and chose to build their App on our platform.
Anyone with an iPhone can download the app for free here. As for you Android users. It’s coming. Very soon.
Mobile Roadie Finalist for SXSWi’s BizSpark Accelerator
posted by Nicole Jordan
SXSW is just around the corner and we’re gearing up for an action packed 10 days. In addition to some partner events and other tricks we’re cooking up, we’ve been selected as a finalist for a coveted spot in the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator competition, taking place March 15-16th during the Interactive Festival. Out of hundreds of companies that submitted, only 32 made the cut across 4 categories: Innovative Web Technology, Entertainment, Business Social Media, and Personal Social Media.
The first round of Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator occurs on Monday, March 15 at the Hilton Austin Downtown. Eight companies within the each category will present in front of a live audience and panel of judges (and one Emcee) with their ideas, innovations, and product or service. At 6pm on Monday, March 15 in a finalist ceremony, three of those eight companies will be asked to return to the Hilton on Tuesday, March 16 to present to a new panel of judges and co-emcees. The new panel of judges will select the grand prize winner for each category at the end of the second day, Tuesday March 16 at 6pm.
Exciting stuff and we’re grateful to Microsoft and the judges for the opportunity to show the world what Mobile Roadie is all about.
To quote Michael, our CEO, “Microsoft has a history of helping young entrepreneurs succeed. We are honored to have been chosen as a finalist and look forward to showing off Mobile Roadie at SXSW.”
Mobile Roadie’s first presentation will take place in Salon F at 5:00pm on the 6th floor of the Hilton. Wish us luck!
For the complete list of finalists and descriptions please visit the site.
