Montreal-based TuneStars™ an alum of CFC Media Lab's IDEABOOST accelerator program, today unveiled a new mobile app designed for the next generation of music fans, industry and artists. A groundbreaking platform, TuneStars™ aggregates and organizes music-related content pulled from top online sources into one central location, making it the first network where fans, artists and the music industry can connect, discover and share like never before.
Starting today TuneStars™ is available as a free download on iTunes. As an all-inclusive platform where users can discover, listen to and share their favourite music, TuneStars™ has strategically positioned itself to become the viral voice of the music industry. Music enthusiasts now have the opportunity to customize their connections with other like-minded fans, their artists and industry more directly than ever before.
"IDEABOOST has been an important collaborator in our hunt for innovation and we're thrilled to be an investor in recent alumni, Tunestars™, a promising Canadian technology startup that we see filling a big gap in the social media music landscape. Tunestars™ provides a streamlined platform for bands, fans and the industry to share what they love most – music," says Barnaby Marshall, Director of Creative Technology, Slaight Music and IDEABOOST Mentor. "With the public iTunes launch they are set for tremendous growth and we're certainly excited to be on this journey with them."
According to ComScore, there are more than 24 million mobile subscribers, with smartphones now reaching 4 out of 5 mobile users in Canada - which has the highest social media network penetration in the world. Moreover, 82% of Canadians use social network technology transforming how we consume, share and discover content online - and that includes music.
'We saw an opportunity in the marketplace, as there weren't really any solid technology platforms that link social and music on mobile. We wanted to give people that experience and more. It's kind of like having your favourite artists with you wherever you go, and knowing what they're up to," says Anthony Shannon, TuneStars™ founder and CEO. ''People think the music industry is dead because record sales are going down, but there's actually more music being consumed than ever. It's just in a different format.''
With more than 500,000,000 people sharing songs on Facebook worldwide, 9 in 10 YouTube videos watched are music videos, and music the #1 topic on Twitter, music has never been more social, nor music-related content been more fragmented.
The digital music landscape has, without question, provided a powerful new set of tools for artists, promoters and record labels to connect to fans. However, that same landscape presents a very splintered fan base.
TuneStars'™ innovative algorithm seamlessly integrates opportunities for discovery with enhanced social features.
Key Features:
- Never miss an update with access to stories posted by fans and artists you're following on Twitter or Facebook streamed in one location. TuneStars consolidates social posts by artists you like from multiple platforms online including Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, Twitter and YouTube etc.
- TuneStars algorithm helps you discover new music, events and news from your favourite artists, consolidating content based on your musical tastes and activity.
- Connect with all your favourite music, artists and friends in one place.
- Easily stream, upload and share your favourite music and music related news with friends and likeminded fans.
- Always know what's trending and popular with access to list that highlights top 100 songs and artists in realtime pulled from billboard music, featured content (editorial, artists) featured on Tunestars™.
TuneStars™ solves the fragmentation problem and is the first social network to differentiate and allow fans, artists, and the industry to cross-market with one another, while giving people music-related content in one place - from streaming, social networks, networking feeds, concerts, and more.
About TUNESTARS™:
A graduate of Canadian Film Centre (CFC) IdeaBoost, Canada's only digital entertainment accelerator program, TuneStars™ is a mobile app that helps to organize and aggregate music content online and organize it into one easy to use platform. Special features integrate discovery and social allowing for direct fan, artist, industry connections.
For more information about TuneStars™ visit TuneStars.com and follow @TuneStars
About CFC Media Lab:
The Canadian Film Centre's Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) is an internationally acclaimed digital media think tank and award-winning production facility. It provides a unique research, training and production environment for digital media content developers and practitioners, as well as acceleration programs and services for digital entertainment start-ups and related SMEs. Program participants have emerged as leaders in the world of digital media, producing groundbreaking projects and innovative, sustainable companies for the digital and virtual age. www.cfccreates.com.