Latest / Carson's Corner: Entrepreneurship & Investing / The Future of Live Music Monetization: Band Buddy Founder Gregg Trosper

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The Future of Live Music Monetization: Band Buddy Founder Gregg Trosper · Carson's Corner: Entrepreneurship & Investing

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Hundred percent of the artists when I ask what what's it like when you have the tip bucket or you take the tip bucket around to get money?
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_02: Meet Greg Trosper, Ban Buddy founder, growth strategist, and builder of live music's future.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're solving multiple problems because it's not only the money, it's making it more interactive, and it's like everybody feels like they had a better experience.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, look, if you allow us to try this out, you're gonna get better activity, the bands are gonna play longer, fans are gonna stay longer, have that second or third round, and you make more money too.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: So everybody went.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: It used to be like near impossible.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't impossible, but it was very expensive to do any kind of mobile app.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: There's pros and cons by building an app number one and putting it on the app store, right?
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't realize how important it is to surround yourself like your advisor that started multiple of these.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: The only way I knew I was going to be further successful is surround myself with a team who had prior experience, who had marketing expertise, who had technology expertise, connections within the music industry.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when we do launch officially, we've got the team behind us.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: So what is your official like launch strategy?
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think to answer your question, we we do.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Carsons Quarter.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: All righty, I'm sitting here with Mr.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Greg Trosper, um entrepreneur in the mobile app for uh live music venues for people that have bands.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great product.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty excited about what you're doing.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Greg attended our uh networking event in uh Tennessee for those who are listening outside.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: But uh Greg, how are you doing, man?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Doing well.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate the invite.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh looking forward to the conversation.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um so let's just start off with like this app.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: The best part is the band members make more money because it's basically been a cash system for tips for bands forever.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And you you know how how's this thing set up to where you know they they're allowed to pick their songs and stuff like that as well, or do request and tip on top of that?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so uh maybe more two or three years ago, I was at a venue watching a band play in downtown Nashville, and the talent is incredible.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: It was a Tuesday night in between sets or in between songs, the lead singer came out with a fishing pole and a bucket, and it had tips attached to it.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: And that that was my aha moment.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, are you kidding me?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: This is how they're trying to ask for tips.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, nobody put any money in it.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: Who carries cash with them?
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: I know I don't, so that's where the idea was born.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: So there's just a better way to interact with artists when they're performing live and not just interact with the artists, it's make more money for them.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: Because a majority of the artists who start out, that's all they get for that three-hour session is what's in that tip bucket cash.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: So we knew there was a better way, a better way to engage, and a better way to help artists just make more money, right?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you said the average is pretty phenomenal.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: What the the increase in tips is what, what'd you say, like 42%?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_02: Or so in our in our ideation, we we built an app.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: We wanted to prove the idea concept.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: We did as cheap and as budget friendly as we possibly could.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: We did about five months of beta testing.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: We did 295 live shows.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: I was not at every one of those, but I was at probably 40 or 50 of them.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: On average, artists were making using our app 42% more than tips.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: So that alone kind of proved not only the concept was working, fans were engaging with it.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: It proved our concept.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: Artists will make more money because it's interactive.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do the artists that use it use it?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: They're probably using it again, right?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: At their shows.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, so we we had a cool uh of like a dashboard that tracked everything.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: What songs were requested, how much in tips, who tipped.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: The average use or repeat usage was nine times.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: So a band who signed up to use the app on average used it nine times.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh what what we also discovered, you know, I thought it would just be localized, Nashville, but it's on the app store, so anybody can go download it.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: After month three, we were just looking at the data.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: There was bands finding it, downloading it, and using it all across the country.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Nashville, I saw it, San Francisco, Los Angeles.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: I will see this on your website, I think.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I looked at it.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: What's that?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I pulled your website up, and there was somebody from Austin, Texas.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Austin, Texas.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Chicago.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: Here's the kicker.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: We found a band that was in the Philippines doing shows.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that was another moment for me, is like, whoa.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: Not because I was worried it's gonna be, you know, do they know how to use it?
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: Can they figure it out?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: All of that is no issue because it's so simple.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: It's a set list that they upload and the fans pick from that set list and request and tip.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's it.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I have a lot of followers that are in uh like Indonesia and Vietnam.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I well, I can just see where they're from, and there's several that follow my newsletter.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're and they're technology people following my real estate newsletter.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: But it's kind of phen like you're like, how in the world did they get a hold of this that far away?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: But that's pretty cool.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um Yeah, yeah, we were excited about that.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think if band people can make it uh more money, but it's not just more money, it's easier because you're talking about like the guy with the fishing pole running around picking up you know five dollar bills or one dollar bills off the ground, you know.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um so what we also learned, I I wanted to learn the industry, if you will, ground up.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I I spent a ton of time at venues talking to venue owners, talking to fans, talking to bands.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: 100% of the artists, when I ask, what's it like when you have the tip bucket or you take the tip bucket around to get money?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: I hate it.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: They hate it.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what do you mean?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: They do not want to do that because they feel like they're groveling.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: They have to like the ass to get money to pay for them to hear their set.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: They don't like doing it.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: They would they would much rather have somebody sit at a table, use their cell phone, and just pick from the set list and send them money via Venmo.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_02: We integrated with Venmo so they get the money instantly, yeah.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: And they're done, right?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: So they don't have to stop their set and say, hey guys, remember, tip tip your waitresses, and if you don't mind, give us a few bucks.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: How hard was it to integrate with Venmo?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: That's a good story.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'll keep this short.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: So two years ago, we asked to integrate through the API with Venmo.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I got all the way up to the VP of development for the app because they were saying, No, no, no, we can't do it.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: I said, Why?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: We you we should do that.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: They basically cut off API integrations six months before we asked.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: So what that would have meant was if you're familiar, API integrations means your app just works with the app natively.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to come out and do a different screen.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: And we were six months away from having that feature.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: However, we did go forward, it is as as close as we can get it with being integrated to Vimmo, but it's instant payment.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_02: It uses their Vimmo account and they get the money at that show.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: They don't have to wait 24 hours or 48 hours.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to tie you up too much on that subject, but Stripe is kind of and it's tricky.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: I I've been with Stripe forever.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I had issues with PayPal way back in the day, and they called me and I was like, what in the hell are y'all doing?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: They actually kicked me off because I argued with them.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I it that's a whole nother I could talk about that for 30 minutes, but you know, stupid, stupid company.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, Stripe is basically coming and kicking their ass.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I was just looking at like how many different payment types I can take.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I never take them, but it's like I can take crypto, I think.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like you know, Apple, Google, crypto, all kinds of stuff.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's something to look at.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you guys are just you know more on the marketing side right now, but at some point, you know, looking at that, um, you know, that this all uh sounds really good.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the demand for it, I would think it's gonna be growing demand with word getting out on, you know, hey, I can make money.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: This is easier.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have to go up and beg for a tip with a cash bucket.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody nobody has cash anymore.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Part of the problem is is like, you know, I remember I used to go to like a football game.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is like, you know, 10, 20 years ago before they finally started taking credit card, but you'd be like, Well, crap, I don't have any cash, you know, and you're like running to the ATM and there's a line like 50 people long.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: You remember those days, like, you know, just just a herd of people at the ATM to get beer, you know.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Beer's out.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's that's the element that when I had that aha moment is cash is just so cumbersome now.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: Who has cash?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: Nobody carries cash a lot, yeah, but everybody goes out having their phone.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: So why not take advantage of that technology, build a platform that allows fans to instantly connect with the artist, request a song, do the tipping, all from the comfort of their comfortable space.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like you said, other artists who are saying the interruption is just so annoying when you have that fan walking up, why right as they're playing a song and saying, trying to get their song played, interrupting the set, it's just uncomfortable from both the artist and the fan perspective.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: We eliminate all that.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to do any of that either.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's the other benefit the artist loved is you know what, by using your app, you've eliminated all those people who've had three beers and want to hear Free Bird in the middle of my set.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: 30 reviews.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so when people download it, like when the general public comes into a restaurant and they want to hear their band, it's free for them to download.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Is it free for the artist to download too?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: So in our in our beta, again, we were being very cautious.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: We decided free for everything.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: We just wanted to learn, we wanted to get data.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_02: So yes, right now everything is free.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: The fan just has to go to the app store.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: In fact, we uh we did little kind of bar coasters.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: So when the fans came to the table, they would scan that QR code, get the app link, and download it.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: So it it made the friction less, but they still had to download the app to get to it and then set the account up.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so once they got that, then they would have access to the artist's set list.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: That that's a good conversation too.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: In in our learnings, I thought you would just be able to have the fan just text in whatever song they wanted.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: Again, every single artist was like, absolutely not.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: No way, man.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Because what if what if it's a song they request, I don't know, number one.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: What if it's a song that I don't want to play?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: Free bird, for example.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, we eliminated that right away and said, okay, you just provide your set list.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: Doesn't matter, hundred songs, three hundred songs, whatever they want to put in, and then the fan only gets a select from that list.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: So it's controlled, but yet the fan feels like they're well able to select whatever song they want.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's probably a good thing because if the band doesn't feel comfortable playing it, they probably shouldn't play it.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a country music um group playing ludicrous or something like that.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the other thing that I when I had the idea is okay, it's simple to make the song request, but what we're doing is more of a gamification element, meaning when you put your song in for$10, it goes on the list and it's ranked.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_02: But if you wanted to hear your song because you're celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, you can put your song in and put$20, but it goes to the top of the list.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: So what does that do?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: The fan can see their song first, number one.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: The band goes, ooh,$20 to play this song.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: I might pick that first and do a shout-out to that fan who requested it.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_02: Because the name comes across too.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: So the fans are more interactive.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: They're competing with themselves to get their song not only on the list, but maybe ranked first because they want to impress their date or their or their wife that night for their anniversary.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it builds interaction, it builds a gamification element.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: And who wins?
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: The band.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: Because they're getting more tips because they they were only going to get five dollars for a song, but now they're getting 20 because somebody really wanted to hear their song.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I have a friend that's in a band, and I didn't realize kind of how popular he was.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is up in Northeast Tennessee, but I asked him if he could play at a venue for me, and he said, You can't afford me.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, I was thinking about telling him about your app.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, I don't need that, you know.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh well, you he he does charge a lot.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: He does mainly weddings and stuff, but still it's like, okay, you could still make more.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yeah, you know.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, so that that's a fair point because there's there's certain artists, and and to be transparent, there was a few that after three months of using it, they said, Look, I love your app.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: There's rough nothing wrong with that.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: I like it.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I just want to control my own set.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: I I want to pick the songs that I want to play when I want to play it.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, oh, no, no worries.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but there is flexibility in the app.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: They don't have to play that top song first.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: There is complete functionality that says, hey, I can play top song number one, or I can play the sixth song, whatever order I want.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: I wonder if they could just say, hey, we're not taking requests right now, but we're still taking tips.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if your music's that good, I mean, people will still tip you, you know.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think he just he didn't see the potential of it, like I see it, right?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: So you're right.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's not necessarily about the song requests, it's just allowing the fans a more easier digital way to tip.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so when you go to like um what what's the uh jukebox?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: After you load money on there, it's like basically money you don't care about anyway.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: You put 40 bucks on there and you're like, okay, it's gonna be gone.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so I don't even I don't even really I think if you don't do the request, there might be a little belly aching, but at the end of the day, I think uh they're still gonna tip you, you know, if you have good music, I think.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: But if you're good and you have a good following, yeah, they want fans want to support, fans want to be engaged at at all at performances now.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: The days are gone of just so going to a show and sitting there and watching and hope they play your favorite song when going home.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: With the interactions and all the other apps today, that is the name of the game, interaction.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: But for whatever reason, the gap and the uh the moment just doesn't exist in live music.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: There's just been nobody focused or no tools to take advantage of that.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody's paying attention.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um you've surrounded yourself by with some great people.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you just recently brought on um I forget his name, but he's had six exit, multi-million dollar exits.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, seriously entrepreneur, great guy, you know, great entrepreneur.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: You brought him on a couple other yeah, great guy, Marcus Calius.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, he is my mentor, he's my coach.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: We brought him on recently.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: He he agreed to kind of be an advisor for us.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: Super helpful because he's raised and started, I don't know, 10, 12 companies, exited.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: So he knows what it takes to be a founder.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: He knows what it takes to continue, keep fighting, keep swinging, don't give up.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: He's he's the best energy coach I've ever had.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: Every month I talk to him.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's really hard because they all have uh challenges.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, psychologically, when you get into these things, you really like think all your family family and friends are going to be really supportive, and there's like a certain sector of them that like tell you it's stupid.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's like they're haters or something, and it's like, no, this is actually a really good idea if you look at it.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: But psychologically, you're it don't uh it feels like you're always like lifting something.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: There's always some sort of challenge, whether it's just psychological BS that you have to block out or just headaches with like you know, the API, you know, the technology side isn't working, or whatever you're gonna have to figure out.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: You just don't know what what it's gonna be on a day-to-day basis.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, even the initial kind of us for us discovery of finding a company who I trusted to build our initial version wasn't a challenge.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: So we we identified a company and he is also a founder, John Driscoll.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he's the co-founder of Naked Development, a true partner because he just didn't build app for us.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: He is also a coach and a mentor.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: He coaches founders on startups.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: So, not just building your app, that's kind of easy in today's environment.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: But he gave me the tools and the coaching and the and the founder mentality that I needed to start two, three years ago.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: He's also an advisor.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: So we're also very blessed to have John on our team just coaching us and and give showing us the ropes of of how to be successful from a technology perspective.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it used to be like near impossible.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't impossible, but it was very expensive to do any kind of mobile app.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I I most people don't know this about me, but I attempted to do one.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: You and I talked about it.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I had a pretty good idea.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you what you can do is like people will end up going cheap and then they'll end up getting a bad product because of the the uh language barrier, and then they turn around and then they try and fix it and even cost even more money.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Not not necessarily anymore, but back then it was different.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, they can like mimic what's already been built, like if they get it to a certain point and say, you know, what about this do you like?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And they could take it from there.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I I uh you know got uh in touch with a guy that he um did mobile apps for like huge companies like Sam's and other things, and he just talked about how these huge companies are like on pens and needles, like nervous about getting it through the Apple App Store.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Just because until you actually see what all is required to get it through the app store, you you have no clue.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then you get there and you're like, holy moly, this is so hard to do, you know.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: And we learned that lesson too.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, there's pros and cons by building an app, number one, and putting it on the app store, right?
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: So the power of the app store is marketing and exposure, hands down, right?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: But there are also other limitations from a business perspective.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the tape they they pull from your earnest.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's ridiculous.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's ridiculous.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's a lot of money.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's a lot of money.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but you, you know, that that's the kind of the option you have, or or go go out uh of the app store and build build something on a web-based platform.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you avoid some of that.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, yes, you have to make those decisions.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh to get started, we felt like that was the best approach.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: Put it on the app store uh and allow them to download it.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, from there, we're deciding on what that next platform is gonna be and how we need to build that.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know what, though, I think like TikTok is doing both, where you have the option to buy it from the app store or outside.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't really run ads on there, but I did for our event.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, you know what, I'm not even on here.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna throw it up there.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I was trying to target like you know, business owners and HVAC and other areas, you know, but long story short, it gave me that option, but the difference in price was pretty shocking.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: It was like 30%, dude.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, sir.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, whoa, whoa.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, I I think I'm also seeing and learning in and just talking to fans, there's a certain level of app fatigue going out in the marketplace.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: Meaning, there's an app for that.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: Well, there's an app to download, there's an app for this.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: Our next version, we are considering moving away from the app itself and just allowing them to download, not even download anything, just they can text or scan a QR code and they're in.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: So my goal is 10 seconds or less that they're actually seeing a set list and engaging rather than because they walk into the bar, see the QR code, download the app, set up an account.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: I I it's just too much friction there.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think eliminate that.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to look into this, and I'm not sure if it's the thing or not, is uh Stripe's link, where you can just pay for stuff, and it's like all you do is enter your phone number once you're hooked into Stripe Link.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that's for you, but it just seemed like a really easy way outside of you know going through the website and all that.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: But it it just needs to be lightning quiz.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: Could consider our environment.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's a dark ass, yeah.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's a dark, it's a dark venue.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh you can't have a conversation.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_02: So whatever we do, it's got to be so elementary that and quick that we don't lose them at the adoption uh point, entry point.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, right.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: Well, so a QR code or a text to get him in is our our mission now.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm I'm very patient, but I'm very impatient because like from a business owner standpoint, like you know, there's so much planning and processing.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: preparation that goes into stuff like this, you know, and then when it goes wrong, I get so irate, you know, because you and then it's just like, well, that's business.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I should I should have expected that.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, you you really do need to execute when you, you know, and then I mean, and that's another point.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like some of these really big venues you don't even want anything to do with anyway, because you can't get sell service there.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: So that that's a good point.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_02: So our our vision is there's kind of two modes here.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_02: We call it a stage mode.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's a medium sized bar.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_02: You can request songs and tip.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: That's fine.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: But we have a much bigger vision stadiums, festivals, we call that crowd mode.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: In that mode, you're not sending a transaction via the song.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: You're just kind of, I think America's got uh talent where you vote for your favorite artist, you vote for your song and maybe an encore.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: So that is the version the platform we're building out now to work smart dude.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah so we're we have best of both worlds and it's going to be on one platform.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: There's not two different apps.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's just one platform that does both.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah you're you're hired man I like the creativity you know that's why I like stuff like this.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I I could see myself you know uh saying okay I'm done with real estate I'm gonna go start a mobile we're definitely in the right spot to do it.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: Nashville is the home of of Music City USA country music if if we will make it work here I think once we conquer Nashville and the country music market yeah we expand beyond that and go after other genres.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: I I think you're gonna do well um I think it just you know nothing happens as fast as you want it to that's true I I'm one of those guys I've probably started just about every business that I could think of you know I I try to forget about the mobile app because I got into it we were at the doorstep of uh pushing it through Apple and I got into it with a developer and then I I don't know I had a guy coming in and he was going to help and I just I just told him I needed a break and I just I had a lot going on at the time I had like five other businesses running and I just never picked it back up.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: I kind of regret not doing it.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: But part of it is I think you're you're more mature than I was at the time back then.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I'm in my 30s when this is happening you know this is what 10 years ago I'm thinking this is 2016 or 17 you know I'm probably 35 36 and just I didn't realize how important it is to surround yourself like your advisor that started multiple of these I have the maturity now to deal with the things that were going on back then and to push it through but back then I wasn't ready for it.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: It was my first time to you know I'd started other businesses like a restaurant but it just doesn't compare to all the surprises I think you get in this kind of industry you know I yeah I mean I think for me as I was building out the idea hey this has merit we proved traction we are beta the only way I knew I was going to be further successful is surround myself with a team who had uh prior experience, who had marketing expertise, who had technology expertise, connections within the music industry, all that is just going to synergize together to get us better prepared.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: So when we do launch officially we've got the team behind us.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: So what is your official like launch strategy?
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Are you like kind of like trying to trickle it out a little bit at a time and then like say okay we're set to like really just go to the masses where you'll let anybody who holds I guess somebody could go on there and download it.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah it's out there today on the App Store app and Google you can download it.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's still out there fans are going viral as soon as this podcast hit bands are still actively using it and creating country users.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: So we we love that I think to answer your question we we do want to build this next platform that's scalable that's uh allowed us to go into maybe different markets we're talking international markets stadium festivals the platform we have now wasn't designed to do that so yes we're still out there in the marketplace but to but I think once we build this next platform that's when we I say big bang you know it's out there we start it and just again get the traction and get some sponsors and or get one or two artists who are going to use it.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: All it takes is one festival and then we're off and run I think you need to be selective I mean you're you guys know what to do but you know you can take the wrong partner just because they have money.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's like oh well they they're bringing two million dollars it's like no don't take it you got to you need somebody that's more strategic that can actually help a little bit maybe not necessarily with the operations but introductions um somebody that can get you exposure to you know the right people hey have you ever thought about you know the Grand Old Opry um I love going to shows there I know you've been if you live here in the Nashville area they do those backstage passes and I they sent me a thing and it's I'd like to say it was like relatively cheap like uh 2500 bucks to get back there and talk to Carrie Underwood.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was wondering if you you guys should you know do that and maybe try and because you're so with like these big people if you go pitch them they're not you're you're gonna get a hold of their assistant.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: You're never getting a hold of them.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: They're never going to look at it.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're right there and only do it with a couple people that you think would be open about it, like do a little research on them and then uh you know what I'm saying?
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_02: I mean I do and and then that's that's the magic silver bullet if you will if you get access to somebody and get in front of them to do that conversation.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: Keith Urban uh you know who's a local Nashville who would be receptive to having that conversation?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yes absolutely yeah um that person's out there I think you're gonna meet them um I'm just trying to think of who I know so did you have fun at our networking event?
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: So we we talked about that before too that that's kind of um look as an empeneur and a founder I'm always looking for opportunities to network.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's not about doing a sales pitch there and I did not go to intend to do that but I went there to expand my network and see if there's other conversations that are potential.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_02: I met I met you at that event I met your team I met Eddie Austin.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: We had a great conversation he was with a couple of maybe opportunities so that's what it's about maybe stronger for me was instead of going to downtown Nashville and and mixing up with 300 people in a room maybe having a minute or two conversation because they're there too to try and get as many people as they can yeah I had serious deep conversations with Eddie specifically oh yeah oh he's in he's a great guy he came on my podcast date he talked forever I love him man I saw that one it was a great it's all good info you know I just kept asking him questions and he's he's really good you know he he's a hard worker um he understands you know he's like a bootstrapper like nothing's easy um but he's really just uh hardworking guy but you know Adrian's a good guy uh Nick a lot of there was a lot of them you know it wasn't a very big room I think we were only at like 35 people but a lot of investors were there um a lot of high value investors that had a ton of properties um well I mean it was I guess you heard uh John said he's listing his properties with me when you're there he says yeah I I I think the big uh the biggest bang for the buck there it was the size it just allowed you better deeper conversations it was a smaller group have a relationship starting point versus just that random you know quick matchmaking process where you're trying to get as many people as possible and you don't have really meaningful conversations you know who I wanted to get to know a little better I I talked to him I said dude you need to order a drink you know I had a you should have stayed till the end because I had like a minimum bar spend I had to do so Eddie and uh Adrian and Chon, I had to buy like 12 bottles of wine to meet the nobody was drinking at all.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it well and then I I kept pushing them like dude get a drink because I can't drink anymore.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: And like they finally started getting like tequilas and I said dude I I'm like 500 bucks short I'm either going to have to put 500 down.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: They said now you can buy wine so we bought a bunch of wine and I'm like we should get pictures with y'all with the wine bottles and be like best networking event every when's the next event uh we're gonna do one in Knoxville dude all right yeah um actually I messaged people yesterday and I forgot I don't know if they've replied or not but I got a lot going on I I need to get back online.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm usually posting and stuff on LinkedIn and I just kind of neglected it but I'm glad you know I got to get away from the tech I don't like it all the time it's like okay it kind of makes you nauseous I got to step away for a little while but um no that that networking event I really felt like good you know that's what it's about like you know when Adrian and I started it I said the odds of you going in there and getting a listing are very very low.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: What you're doing is you're trying to network with people and talk to them.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you can partner up on a a venture or something down the road it's not going to happen that night and I like the tone of it it was all like hey what do you do and you know just talking having good conversations I love the uh opportunities zone talk about you know avoiding taxes so when you guys uh exit Bam Buddy for half a billion and you give me my cut as the business broker to sell it I'm just kidding.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: I like your numbers yeah but well you never know man but I think um you know just talking to people getting to know them it's it's where it's at so there's just so many hard pitches dude you know I hate going there and as soon as somebody says what are your goals I say oh god you know I'm 46 years old I know what's coming next they're gonna try and paint you in a try and get you to talk and then they're gonna try and paint you in a corner and well you said this this and this and we do this and it's like okay yeah but yeah I I thought the tone was very good and everybody was real really good people so anyway.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah love that um good exposure I think so you're from you're pretty you've lived in Nashville 50 years.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: I have that's from Nashville for Nashville because nobody's really from here.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like guys like me uh Adrian's only lived here well I don't want to call him out on the podcast they're making fun he there's a lot of joking going on at the network event you know oh the California guy I thought it was pretty funny but you know there's a lot of imports I I grew up in Texas and I didn't even move here from Texas I moved here from Arkansas so uh a lot of imports it's a great city I know people from other states that are like um you know it's really cult-like if you didn't go to a certain university it doesn't even matter how much money you have you're still an outsider it's just kind of like a cult-like feel and like in Tennessee you can make friends a lot easier so there's something about it I like um and all that so 50 years in Nashville and uh I think man do you have anything else you want to add I think you need to leave your contact information for sure your website I think for for me um just appreciate the opportunity here Carson number one just to be able to talk and share our story we are just getting started here yeah um I am super excited about the future uh like I said for us next steps we're just gonna build that next level platform look for sponsors um you know artists who want to to sign on to the app we're still kind of in that free mode I'm not worried about money at this point it's that's not my priority I'm still building out and talking with artists yeah because we're building the platform for them I want their input right so we're still going out to see live shows we're still talking to them and we're using their feedback to build this next version of the platform I would love if there's artists who have an interest just to have a conversation right what is working for you what is not what do you see the live music industry doing in the next five years we see it as being a lot more interactive fan engagement I think is critical.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well people people are really lonely like you know even the networking event I said we got to get out I mean we sit here and human interaction is missing.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah we sit there and stare at these screens like all day and I'm like dude I've been looking at my computer for eight hours and then you're like okay I got to go do something you know and then you're like well it's seven o'clock you know I need to eat and go to bed here.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean the day's over and you didn't even go out and meet anybody or have fun or anything.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: You know people want to you're miss you're missing the moment of life is what I call them.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_02: And that's in the moment of a live music event right why can't we build better interaction for everyone to have a better evening fans and artists to enjoy that moment.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_02: So yes it's about some monetization creating tools for the artist to better utilize in the moment that that's just doesn't exist today.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_02: If we are able to build that you know based on on what our vision is it's just about helping those artists make more money and earn a living of what they love doing.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: If they can if I can accomplish that then I'll be I'm satisfied you're you're you're solving multiple problems because it's not only the money it's making it more interactive and it's like everybody feels like they had a better experience.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: So really you're helping the bar owner as well.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_02: So next time there's a show, oh hell yeah I'm gonna go up there because I can download the app I would think a lot of these bar owners would be kind of hitting you up and so we we did extensive research uh sixty percent of patrons are more likely to stay longer if there's music or more interactivity at that venue.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_02: And they will specifically go back to that venue because of that.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: So we're using those metrics to not only prove to the venues hey look if you allow us to try this out you're gonna get better activity the bands are going to play longer fans are going to stay longer have that second or third round and you make more money too.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: So everybody wins well it's easier to book bands too when they make more money so hell yeah I'll go back there.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_02: Venues want the crowd that the crowd drives revenue at at those events.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely what so just real real quickly my contact information if somebody wants to reach out to me happy to have a conversation we're just talking about what works at shows love to talk to artists uh our website is bandbuddylive.com uh that you can uh download the app if you want to give it a try there's still uh no charge and we're still gonna do that and then my email just reach out directly to me it's Greg at bandbuddylive.com Greg at bandbudylive.com we appreciate you man I'll uh send you an email like in a week there we're pretty good about getting these out you know with I try and get them out within three days but it's usually about a week so yeah yeah I've been on other podcasts for like you know it's like takes like five six weeks and you're like what are y'all waiting on you know I mean they want it to be perfect and all it is is just conversation.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: We're just talking here so you know exactly yeah man I I absolutely enjoyed it.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna cut the recording and uh you and I can talk after for a second.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway Thank y'all everybody listening