Robert Scoble caught up with our very own Co-founder and Creative Director, Brock Batten, at the Smash Summit in San Francisco. Robert has recently joined the Mobile Roadie family with his very own app, and wanted to take a moment to talk with Brock about the app and do a little live demo for his video channel on YouTube.

One of the major features, as Brock points out, is that any changes you make in the back end information for a Mobile Roadie app gets updated instantly. The idea is to focus on the user experience and create as robust an experience as possible.  Using Facebook and Twitter integration in the apps enables our customers to have their users spread the app virally.

Cost was also discussed, and the realization is that to build an app from scratch could cost upwards of $20,000, which is a turn-off for many who would like an app.  Using software as a service, Mobile Roadie eliminates this problem.

Robert mentions during the video that he’s happy with the back end CMS system that allows him to easily log in and make changes.  His app is also integrated with his YouTube and Twitter accounts, as well as providing the Fan Wall, which fans can use as a type of chat room as well.

It seems that Robert Scoble, long-time tech blogger and lover of all things tech, has found his app home with Mobile Roadie. If it’s good enough for him, what are you waiting for? $500 set-up fee and $30 a month for the CMS services … it just doesn’t get any better than that.

During a recent trip to Cannes, France, Mobile Roadie CEO Michael Schneider made an announcement about our expansion into the European mobile apps market.  However, this wasn’t the only reason he went to the MIPTV conference.  He also was invited to sit on the MIPTV Panel on Mobile Engagement 2.0.

The panel was moderated by Jason DaPonte, Managing Editor for BBC Mobile (UK), whose first question out of the box was “How would you summarize what’s different about engaging people on mobile, compared to engaging people on the web, TV, or other media?” Michael was the first in line to answer the question, pointing to the higher level of engagement than the desktop, because it is mobile.

Other panelists included Claire Boonstra, Co-founder of Layar DV (Netherlands); Rudy de Waele, Chief Networking Officer from DotOpen (Spain); and Kurt Sillen, VP and Head of Customer Business Development from Ericsson (Sweeden).  The panelists were also asked about the commercial opportunities provided by the mobile web.  I have to admit that I was intrigued by the theory posited by Kurt Sillen, that the mobile app is dead.  By the end of the video he agreed it really isn’t dead, but his reason for throwing out that position was to challenge the panel not to get too connected or tied in to one technology alone.

I may be biased, but I think that Michael made the best defense in terms of the future of the mobile app:

“Until the mobile web becomes as engaging and as pretty, and frankly, as sexy as an app, it’s not going to provide the same value to the user.  One of the reasons the iPhone is as successful as it is, is because of the apps.”

You can watch the entire eight minute video at the MIPTV website here.

(Note: The Mobile Engagement Panel is the second video on the right. )

However thanks to the official streaming partner of LeWeb (and our new partner as well) Ustream, it was all captured in the below video. As you might imagine, the official app was a huge hit, even TechCrunch took note in this great blog post.

As seen in the below video, the app includes 3 full tracks you can stream directly from the app but what, there’s more. Each track is accompanied by an art piece you can interact with. Simply touch and slide various elements on the screen to reveal a treasure trove of goodies. Of course you’ll also find photos from the band’s Flickr stream and some full length music videos you can easily share with your friends via Twitter and Facebook.

Head on over to the app store to get your copy today.

(Bonus points if you can locate all the easter eggs we’ve hidden in this one.)