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Music Industry Portal

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Music Industry Portal

Connect the Canadian Music Industry—and its Audience

I know there's a better way for the Canadian live music industry to connect. Build me a new web system that generates revenue and builds new business—a collaboration portal for live music entrepreneurs.

The intriguing request came from a 30-year veteran of the Canadian live music scene. How could the Internet help bands and artists be more successful? What kind of site would make it easier for venues, and even the general public, to find live performers? Which combination of online services could help musicians post their profiles, manage their calendars, build contacts, find back-up players, negotiate contracts, and above all, get more gigs???

How could one web system keep everyone in the Canadian live music industry organized, in touch and in business—while delivering profitable membership revenues to our client?

We needed to turn our client's pioneering business concept into a pioneering web system. Our first challenge was to develop a set of online tools for a wide range of different users-bands, artists, venues, managers, agents and merchants. Our second challenge was to make these tools work together in an integrated and marketable management and communications system.

We began by working closely with our client to learn about the needs of all members of the live music industry—musicians looking for gigs, venues looking for bands, and bandleaders and agents looking for fast, easy ways to track bookings, manage schedules and organize tours.

Guided by the objectives, market research and budgetary scope of the detailed Business Plan provided by our client, we prepared a customized Web System Plan-a blueprint that included a design "look and feel," a website schematic, detailed budget and a step-by step, phased approach to development. The Plan addressed each of our client's requirements, including:

• Public Area designed to promote bands, artists, venues and merchants to site visitors.
• Members Area to manage profiles, view Gig Alerts, maintain appointment and booking calendars and build contacts.
• Build a Band ™ feature to allow members to collaborate on upcoming gigs.
• Contract and Negotiations feature to streamline agreements between bands, artists, and venues.
• Site Administration area that allows CanGig.ca™ staff to easily update content, send E-Newsletters and E-announcements, post features, and manage membership information and online payment transactions.

Now it was time to custom-design and custom-program Canada's first live music collaboration portal. A single but powerful performance image was chosen to anchor the website, instantly conveying the dynamism and energy of live music. A simple, mouse-over navigation approach was used to quickly direct visitors to appropriate areas. All-important Site Tour, Registration and Login features were placed clearly and prominently on the site's entry page.

A unique combination of online management, promotional, communications and administrative tools emerged as CanGig.ca^TM took shape, including:

• Fully searchable public/private databases
• Interactive calendars (with custom-designed Gig Alert function)
• Online contracts and agreements
• Secure, real-time credit card processing system offering a choice of payment options

Throughout the development process, our client remained in touch and in control. The completed site maintains that control. The custom-designed Backoffice features complete membership database and contact management, extensive content editing capability, and effortless broadcasting of e-Announcments and e-Newsletters. Built-in Client Control features provide site administrators with all of the tools they need to manage their online business quickly and efficiently, without any specialized computer knowledge.

Launched in 2004, CanGig.ca^TM is now in business, breaking new ground and delivering big benefits to everyone in the Canadian live music industry:

• Musicians are getting hired more often
• Bands are getting organized, staying informed, and keeping in touch with industry members from across the country
• Agents and venues are finding performers, and saving time and money by arranging bookings and negotiating contracts online
• Everyone, including the public, is learning more about the strength and vitality of the Canadian live music community

By providing unparalleled service to the Canadian music industry, CanGig.ca™ is now generating membership revenue and receiving a growing return on client investment.