As part of our “Holy Shit You're Graduating and Have No Job?!” series, we're bringing you tons of information about working in the world of music. This week, we sat down for a chat with Julien Mitelberg, CEO of music startup Bandsintown.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Bandsintown is a nifty app that will tell you when the artists you like have a gig in your area. The app looks at many sources (likes on Facebook, Pandora, Spotify, iTunes library, Rdio, etc.) and then identifies your ‘music DNA.' They boast some pretty impressive stats: 20% of users have gone to a concert of an artist they didn't know, but the app recommended to them. It also has a handy “RSVP” feature, where you can see which concerts your friends have said they're going to (or alternatively, avoid the shows your friends are going to. I do this myself…)
Bandsintown is free to users (totally free) and sends you real-time alerts on iOS, Android or Facebook whenever new shows are announced for the artists you follow.
As far as music companies go, Bandsintown is tiny – with 18 people between their New York City and San Diego offices. The office vibe is laidback, casual, with most people sporting jeans, hoodies, and Headphones. Their core product (“what they do”) is pretty technical though – they have one of the largest event databases in the world, and aggregate information from ticket sites, promoters, venues, and the artists themselves.
“We're looking for concert obsessives, people who support and go to live events, not just music lovers.”
I asked Julien how he became CEO of Bandsintown, as I got brief glimpses of a company history that's scrappy and totally unique. Said Julien, “At first, I dedicated a little bit of time to the business and creating our company culture, ensuring the teams in our two offices felt connected. Then it became more. Then more. Then Bandsintown became 100% of my time, and it was obvious we were onto something. I believe in what we do for fans and artists and want to ensure you never miss another live show.”
Being CEO of a music startup has its perks – chances are you've probably danced next to Julien at Ultra, EDC, or Electric Zoo. He also (lucky guy) checks out Ibiza every summer. “I'm originally from France, so… my favorite type of music is deep house, electronica, Daft Punk.”
It goes without saying that EDM is one of Bandsintown's top music genres. I joined myself and found that I was unaware of an upcoming concert by Vicetone, which is insane because I run a music blog and know their PR team. Needless to say I will definitely be using and encouraging our writers to use Bandsintown from now on.
As I was leaving, I was loaded down with tee shirts and Bandsintown Zippo lighters. I looked around and with everyone jamming to music while they worked, I couldn't help but feel, you know, it would be really awesome to work here.
So if you're graduating and love live music events, maybe Bandsintown is the place for you. Check out their Careers Page and see if you're a fit for their team!
