Concert Window in Reuters →

TORONTO (Reuters) - Music lovers wanting to hear live tunes without going to a concert or club or leaving the comfort of their home can use new computer apps that connect them to events in venues around

Welcome to the brand new Concert Window. It’s simpler, faster, and it’s optimized for your computer, phone, and tablet. Watch live shows while you chat with friends from around the world. Then leave a review to share your feedback with the artist.

Feel good about supporting live music – at home or on the go.

Thanks to the amazing team: Elliott Golden (designer) and Jon Daily (developer). 

Concert Window on Tour - March 3-22

I’m excited to announce the official dates for Concert Window on Tour (2013 edition). Originally I was going to drive around the entire United States in an 8,000 mile loop, but Concert Window has been growing lately by leaps and bounds, and I’ll have to get back to the office before too long.

So I’ll be driving down the east coast, joined by good friends and bandmates Dylan Foley and Sean Earnest, and playing shows along the way, including a live stream at The Down Home. The tour will culminate at The Bugle Boy in La Grange with a live streamed St. Patrick’s Day extravaganza.

We’ll have copies of our brand-new album “The Yanks” (with Isaac Alderson) and we’re curious to see how Concert Window can help musicians promote and sell their music.

Please join in to the fun — come to a house concert if we’re playing near your town (email dan@concertwindow.com to reserve a seat), or watch the live streams from The Bugle Boy and The Down Home.

Here is the complete schedule:

Mar 3: Washington, DC - house concert
Mar 5: Charlottesville, VA - house concert
Mar 5: Faber, VA - house concert
Mar 6: Romney, WV - house concert
Mar 9: Johnson City, TN - The Down Home (LIVE WEBCAST)
Mar 17: La Grange, TX - The Bugle Boy (LIVE WEBCAST)
Mar 22: Ambler, PA - house concert

We’ll also do a few live Q+A’s from the road.

RSVP to the Facebook event and we’ll see you on the road!

Dan

Announcing another great new venue: Kirkland Performance Center

We’re delighted to follow our announcement of a webcasting partnership with the Rialto Theatre with another top-notch venue: The Kirkland Performance Center in Kirkland, WA.

The KPC is a state-of-the-art theater which hosts artists like Solas, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, and Medeski, Martin, and Wood. We’ll begin webcasting from the KPC next month.

Here is some more background:

KPC enriches, educates, and entertains through performances that ignite the imagination and connect audiences and artists.

Designed by Becker Architects, our 402-seat theatre is spacious, yet retains an intimate feel. The farthest seat is just 13 rows - 40 feet - from the stage; the steep rake of the house provides excellent sightlines throughout the theatre. The seats are ample with extra leg room for comfortable seating. The acoustics in the theatre are designed to work equally well for both music and the spoken word.

Announcing a new venue: The Rialto Theatre

Today we are announcing an exciting new venue partnership: with the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, AZ. The Rialto is a historic theater, built in 1920, which has thrived over the years and now presents some of the most well-known artists in the music industry, including The XX, Sufjan Stevens, and Wilco. 

Webcasts from the Rialto will be viewable atwww.concertwindow.com/rialto and will begin in March.

Welcoming Ian Bestor to the team

The Concert Window team is expanding. We’re excited to welcome Ian Bestor, who will be working on venue partnerships and content. Ian has years of specialized experience in the live streaming field, working with venues and producing live video shoots.

Ian is originally from California, now settled in New York, and is an avid music fan, listening mainly to folk and acoustic rock.

I am personally excited to welcome Ian to the team where he will join Forrest, myself, Jon, and our fantastic support reps: Michael, Jean, Dylan, and Jeff.

Concert Window is growing and I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish in the near future.

Dan

How to review shows

Now you can review shows that you’ve watched!

To do so, you must be logged in first. Click on the Profile button in the upper right of the screen. That’s your headquarters for all your reviews. You can rate each show on a 5-star scale and add a text review. Reviews will appear on the show page, so the musicians can check in afterwards and see what you all thought.

Enjoy!

New venue: The Center for Arts in Natick

Our venue partnership team has been on a roll — along with recent additions Caffe Lena and The Falcon, we’re proud to announce that The Center for Arts in Natick is joining the Concert Window network.

Situated in a historic restored firehouse, The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) is a modern performing arts center which hosts artists like Joan Osborne, Donna the Buffalo, Jonathan Edwards, and Loudon Wainwright III.

Here’s some more background information in their own words:

TCAN provides a cultural center to the MetroWest Boston region, where national and emerging artists present performances, literary events, and art exhibitions in an environment that brings together individuals and families, children and seniors. Classes in music, theatre, dance and visual arts are regularly held for students of all ages.

TCAN’s Firehouse venue defines the ideal performance space for music concerts, theatrical and dance presentations, lectures, film programs and special functions in the MetroWest area. This historic (c.1875) Summer Street Firehouse building has been carefully restored as a theatre, art gallery and community center with space to accommodate art exhibits and business offices.

In the heart of Natick’s revitalized downtown area, the building sits among striking turn-of-the-century architecture and elegant new construction. TCAN is at the crossroads of culture in the Metrowest region - part of a vibrant downtown area that features the Morse Institute Library, the Walnut Hill School for the performing arts and a backdrop of artist studios, dance studios, galleries, fine restaurants and craft boutiques.

Keep an eye on www.concertwindow.com/schedule for the first TCAN webcasts!

All New: Activity and Recommendations

Today we’re launching a few new features in our quest to bring live concerts online: Activity and Recommendations.

When you’re logged in, you’ll now see a custom section on the homepage tailored especially for you. It will list recent activity on the site (including tickets, reminders, and show views), and you can click on usernames to “follow” people and stay connected with them.

By clicking on the Profile icon in the top right of the page, you can see your own profile and the users you’re following, plus those who follow you. We recommend uploading a picture when you get a chance!

Next to Activity, we’re introducing a new section called Recommendations. We’ll recommend the top shows in each genre, based on how much buzz the shows are generating (taking into account tickets, reminders, and chats).

We hope these new features will make the overall Concert Window experience more engaging and fun. It’s also cool to watch the feed and remember upcoming shows you might have forgotten about.

Check it out now on the homepage. 

Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook. We’re listening!

Introducing upgraded user profiles

Today we’re launching a feature that aims to make the experience around concert-watching more interesting. When we go to a show in person, it matters who else is in the room. These new profiles are a step towards recreating that experience online. 

You can add your own profile picture, follow other people, and see a cool graph of what genres they’re into. 

To visit the new profiles, click on usernames in Chat while you’re watching a show. To edit your own profile, log in and click the “Profile” button in the top right of the screen. 

Dan