Do you love listening to live music or are you trying to add more concerts to your weekend lineup? Chicago features all kinds of live music acts, but it’s not easy knowing where to seek out the best concerts. Download the GigScout app, and you’ll have a list of all the upcoming concerts in your vicinity. The app makes it simple to find the venues closest to your location, pick an artist by listening to a quick clip of their music, and even buy tickets.
GigScout was dreamed up and developed by Chicagoan John Cifelli. John always had an appreciation for Chicago as a music town, and loved going to concerts and events. Because the Chicago music landscape is so spread out, there are venues on every side of town and no clear resource aggregating where all the upcoming concerts are. John’s frustration in researching venue after venue led to the idea for GigScout – the goal is to make it easy for anyone in town to find a concert they’ll love.
While GigScout is now available in many cities across the country, its Chicago roots help it continue to grow. Learning how users interact with the app allows John to come up with new and innovative functions to try. Currently, the app:
- Shows a map view and list view of upcoming concerts
- Plays a 30-second preview clip of the artists you’d like to hear
- Shares the artist biography and type of music
- Allows you to purchase tickets for some of the events
- Connects with Uber to call for transportation to the venue
Beyond the goal of helping users find great concerts, GigScout has the power to introduce people to new venues, new styles of music, and up-and-coming local artists. This is a modern platform for discovering new music, and uses technology to advance the music and performance industry.
Local and up-and-coming bands are benefitting from GigScout as well. A band without much publicity or marketing can tap into a new fan base by being listed on GigScout. As the app expands, John has had the opportunity to interact with many of the local bands in Chicago. He’s now an expert in venues and musicians. When asked who his favorite musician is? “Buddy Guy – classic Chicago musician.”
The next time you’re yearning to hear a new band, try a new venue, or just explore more of what Chicago has to offer, download GigScout from the App Store (currently available on iOS and will later be available for Android).