For anyone who loves music and finds a show they want to go to, the first question is: Who should I go with?
With Music Mix, that inquiry becomes a whole lot easier. A team spearheaded by a team of Southern Oregon University undergraduates that will present at the Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge this June, Music Mix is an app that allows music fans to follow the bands they love and connect with fellow fans.
Music Mix’s app innovation provides fans with a new way to connect, solving the occasion when there’s a great show in town but no one to go with. “You can connect with other fans and even artists through direct messaging and group chats and music mixers allows fans and artists to connect to our messaging platform, really just honing in the community that music creates all in one little app,” said Lianna Inthavong, an undergraduate in social media and public engagement.
Inthavong, who is spearheading the project, was inspired by a community of music fans she found on Twitter, called Stan Twitter, that is notable for its shared language around music appreciation. “I got involved in this community for a favorite band of mine. And I loved getting to know people from all over the world. So this idea of Music Mix stems from that side of Twitter, because I thought to myself, well, I met these amazing people and I wish I could meet up with them for a show.”
In a crowded market, Music Mix stands out for its approach to its community. Twitter, Inthavong said, is like a forum where everyone can be a part of a giant conversation. The music industry, however, is set up more like the Discord platform: a messaging app for gamers that is grouped around specific niche interests, not an all-inclusive mass of conversations where the borders that separate groups are often unclear.
“The main idea is communication,” Inthavong said. “We wanted different channels or different group chats for specific artists or bands that people like. And so the outline is similar to Discord.”
“I like to see it as a Facebook and bandsintown had a baby and maybe Twitter was involved in there somehow too, because it is really similar in that, like, you know, you can follow artists that you like, but you can also become friends with people who like similar artists,” said Autumn Micketti, an undergraduate communications major with a focus on social media and public engagement.
For example, say you like Mumford and Sons. Guess what? Their most popular song on Spotify has more than 300 million plays, so the chances are the someone near you also likes them. Music Mix simply makes it easier to connect with them.
“You guys can become friends over that and connect,” Micketti said. “So you have direct messaging opportunities. And you can also comment on anything that they share on their own feed. And then that can give us the opportunity to go and meet up for concerts when we have concerts.”
This is the kind of platform that Music Mix thinks music fans will appreciate. “This is important because for those who don’t have a solid community, they often miss out on live shows because they don’t want to go by themselves or their friends or fans of a certain band,” Inthavong said. “And with a music fan community, you can attend more shows, meet new people from around the world and feel more confident in your musical interests.”
Community, especially around music, is something we all could use a little more of.