Gigtrak - online music management system

Chris

www.gigtrak.com

Got an email today about this thing.. Seems useful enough.. Anyone else check it out?
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Chris · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:14 pm Post subject:

Wow.. I sent a quick feedback email to them with a little idea based on my first impression and the guy gave me a free 3-month pro subscription.. Interesting..
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fire · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:20 pm Post subject:

good deal. what was your suggestion?

Chris · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject:

So after spending a few hours using Gigtrak over the past couple of days, I like what I'm seeing so far..

The databases are very connected so updating a record in one part of the software automatically changes any other database that is linked to that record.. As a simple example, if I update someone's email address in the "contacts" section then when I see their name listed in the "projects" section as a member of their band the email address will already be updated.. This is pretty helpful when there are multiples layers of information happening..

One really cool feature is the ability to create a password-protected website that can be shared between the band and promoter of a specific event.. So if a youth pastor books my band I can send him a link and a password and by logging in to that site he will have access to any rides, promotional material, mp3's, contracts, etc which I've associated with that show.. He can also quickly access my contact info and other tour dates in case he wants to come see me play.. This is a really nice feature..

On the band side, I really like how I can get information about a particular show really quickly to the other guys in my band.. With their own Gigtrak login they have access to maps, contact info and promotional material about any of the events I've got booked - either confirmed or tentative shows.. If I'm the one organizing a show I can quickly email everyone involved to let them know about any changes - the emails get sent right through the software and not through an outside email service..

There are a couple of bugs - right now in some sections of the site you can't choose provinces, only states.. So that means that the maps of where the shows are happening don't generate properly if the show is in Canada.. The guys at Gigtrak are working on this..

One other little hiccup for me is that you can't attach a "talent buyer" record to a "private venue".. There are two types of venues - public and private - and for public venues I can tell the software who is in charge of booking events there.. This record then becomes public and can be searched by other Gigtrak users.. If I want to create a private venue and keep the talent buyer information to myself, the software won't let me do that.. When I'm thinking of churches, some may not want their "talent buyer" to be public info - or at least public info for Gigtrak users..

For example, all public venues are searchable - this is an amazing feature and would help out alot for bands who are looking to tour and have open dates on their calendar.. In the search window I've pulled up info for Sherwood Park Alliance Church in Edmonton, AB.. In that window I've now got the name, email and phone number of the person who is in charge of booking events at the church - in this case the Director of Arts and Programming.. From a touring band perspective, this is a goldmine.. From a church/venue perspective, this is an avalanche of unwanted promo packages waiting to be unleashed..

All in all, I think this is a VERY powerful resource for bands who are looking for an easy way to improve their internal communications and who want an application that can grow with them as their operation gets bigger and bigger..
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Just Alex · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject:

Oops... I guess you'd already figured out the province issue.. i emailed them asking about that too..

I checked GigTrak out, and I'm liking the idea. I've gotta play with it more.

SABBATICAL! · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:12 am Post subject:

i'm gonnna sign up. chris, you using pro or basic? have you checked out both? if so, what are your thoughts on the limitations of basic?

Chris · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:24 am Post subject:

I'm using pro - I'm not totally sure what the big differences are between pro and basic but I'd say that what you get from the pro account is definitely worth the $15/month..
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SABBATICAL! · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:06 pm Post subject:

what would you say about this thing vs. that indie band manager software?

Just Alex · Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject:

Indie BM was lacking functionality, i found it super hard to use.. and inconvenient in a lot of ways.

This internet program seems really well tied together, everything works together to make a solid product as a whole. Only thing it's missing is Canada.

Chris · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:43 pm Post subject:

So I'm still using Gigtrak pretty regularly and continue to be impressed.. Mark and his team have developed a very strong system of keeping lines of communication - both between band members and also between bands, managers and promoters..

One really cool thing they've developed is a flash-based mini EPK that can be posted on any site that will allow you to embed flash files.. So you could stick this on your MySpace page or PureVolume page - does Facebook allow posting flash files?

This is what it looks like -

[flash width=322 height=244 loop=false:47686df45b]http://www.gigtrak.com/serve-it-mini.swf?bandName=hellokelly[/flash:47686df45b]

The YouTube and Flicker integration on this thing is genius.. It also allows viewers to "Become A Fan" and enter their contact info which automatically gets sent to my Gigtrak profile and allows me to contact them directly through that site..

I'm excited to see what these guys come up with next but they really seem to be moving in the right direction..
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Just Alex · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:39 am Post subject:

Completely agree, so far I'm loving the system, now I just have to figure out

Great stuff. How'd you embed that on the board Chris?
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SABBATICAL! · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:40 am Post subject:

so, what are you thinking so far with the new version and structure, chris? worth the $15 a month? my band's trying to decide if it's worth it.

Chris · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:36 pm Post subject:

To be honest I have not tried it out. I did see some of the changes they were making before it launched publicly but I have been stupid busy and haven't been able to spend much time on the site.

Obviously it's become less important for me in the day-to-day operations but only because booking is not at the forefront of Hello Kelly's adventures right now.
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Just Alex · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject:

I'm finding it super helpful, and tho it could still use a few extra features, the features it does have are amazing for both networking and advertising.

And... the Risen was the featured band for the past month... pretty sweet!
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