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Live music and social discovery app Rowl has just raised a $4 million Series A round. The startup tries to cut through the clutter of music event promotion, to give users just information on live events they are interested in. Launched September 8th, the company has raised $8 million in total, and has set up partnerships with several major ticket sellers.
"Often times, social media updates from bands, DJs, comedians, etc. get lost between Facebook posts, snaps, tweets and endless ads. Fans find out about events when tickets are already sold out or, even worse, when it's already passed,” said Bill Glaser, co-founder and president, in a statement. “We are solving this problem by providing them with automatic notifications of when their favorite influencer is coming to town so they so they can have a chance to purchase tickets -- or maybe win some."
Because of illegal music downloads, iTunes and Spotify, recorded music sales have been falling for years, forcing musicians to look for alternative forms of revenue. What they’ve found is live concerts are even more profitable then ever. Live events tend to command higher prices because they have an element of exclusion and uniqueness. That is in contrast to digital music, which is everywhere and cheap. Music festivals like Coachella, the iHeart Music Festival and Budweiser’s Made in America Tour have proven hugely popular. Rowl facilitates ticket sales through partnerships with Live Nation, TicketMaster, and WantTickets.
Beyond tailoring promotional content, Rowl has the feel of a social discovery app. The app will notify users of what events their friends are attending, has messaging and picture sharing features, and can be used for more casual event organizing.
"Rowl allows users to create their own events and even stores their interests to follow them wherever they go. Users can also organize their own events, for example BBQs, game nights, etc., and notify friends in the area automatically via the app," said co-founder and CEO Fred Tannous.
Currently, the Rowl app is available for free download on iOS.
