5 Essential iPhone Apps for Bands
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get to check out the New Music Seminar in Chicago, and a question was posed to the speakers, “What iPhone applications should I have?” There was a bit of confusion, and some suggestions–none of which that I felt were really helpful applications for touring bands. Links open up in iTunes.
I’ve put together a list of the 5 applications that I have used in the past that I feel would be incredibly helpful to any touring musician, without including the obvious like Google Maps, Facebook, or Myspace.
Loopt
Want your fans to see where you are without having to update via Twitter? Loopt lets your fans see where you are in the country at the time, and allows you to update your status with what you’re doing there.
Cost: Free
WordPress
Need to write a message to your blog directly from your phone and include pictures? WordPress is by far the most popular blog platform, and this application integrates seamlessly with it.
Cost: Free
iSwipe
Want to take credit cards at your merch booth? Have a Paypal account? No need for a bulky credit card terminal, iSwipe integrates directly with several popular payment gateways and is great for a band on the go. It’s easy to use and easy to setup. (We used it at all the Assault Shirts live Summer Events.)
Cost: $0.99 (UPDATED!)
Pixelpipe
Taking lots of video and photos with your phone, and need an application that integrates and uploads media to virtually every service on the net? Thought so. Pixelpipe easily integrates with just about every major service out there and is great for publishing on the go.
Cost: Free
Tweetie 2
If you’re in a band, then you better be on Twitter. If you’re on Twitter, you better have Tweetie. It’s the best application out there for interacting with your Twitter followers, and it’s affordable too!
Cost: $2.99
Know of any applications I missed? Post them in the comments. Like lists like these? Follow me on Twitter here. I’m always posting helpful tips and links.
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About the Author
Tim is the co-owner of Assault, and tends to think he can party twice as hard as anyone. Follow him on twitter @assaultEmail this Author | All posts by tim
Nice round up of apps…
I’d throw MobileRoadie (http://www.mobileroadie.com/) into the mix. Although it’s not technically an app, the service does let you CREATE an app for your band and then offer it through the itunes store for free or paid.
From personal experience, yes it’s boilerplate, but it’s also customizable, so it’s still a pretty cool option for small bands.
I’ll check it out.
Maybe I can make an AssaultBLOG app! Can you use it if you’re not a band?
I was also at NMS. I do think that foursquare and GoWalla can be useful in connecting with fans. But, I love that you have compiled these other great apps for traveling bands. How about GPS options? I have found various ones work better in certain parts of the country.
The best for directions is probably the Tom Tom app, but I didn’t put it on here cause it’s $99.99