Gig starter

As a music fan this story immediately caught my eye.  A simple idea made possible through the power of web and a loyal but untapped fan base.  London-based Songkick has just beta-launched Detour - described as a 'Kickstarter for gigs'.

Do you perhaps live away from the bright lights of the big city?  No-one half decent played in your neck of the woods in living memory?  Do you reckon that there's maybe enough fans of your favourite band to make it worthwhile them coming up your way?  In days gone by, you'd be out of luck.  Chances are that you would have to travel hundreds of miles to see them.  Detour puts the fans in charge and hopefully will help bands to reach more of their base.  Get enough people to pledge on Detour and they'll get in touch with the band to see if it can become a reality.

I don't suppose this is going to appeal to the really big bands but for all those up-and-coming or yesteryear's artists, this could really help.  It could be a godsend for an overseas artist on their first foray into new territory where they know little about their fan base locally. Think about how an idea like this could work in a geographically large area but sparsely populated country like New Zealand.  Through Detour or perhaps a similar service, you may well find that an artist has a previously untapped fan base scattered around the Manawatu.  Get enough people to pledge and you could see that band booking a gig in Palmerston North.

Maybe Thea will visit NZ?

It's a great idea that puts power back in the people's hands.  Managed well you could fill town halls up and down the country with all manner of acts. Expect to see a whole bunch of copycat services springing up all around the world.

'Kickstarter for gigs' (BBC)

Songkick's London site

Songkick Detour (Wired)