A recently launched Web site dedicated to helping live music fans search for concerts in their area is using a unique hook to aid people in how they look for the events.
Turn2Live.com claims that it is the first Web site “that enables users to discover shows using intuitive search terms,” such as “energetic,” “melancholy” and “quirky.”
Turn2Live’s CEO and co-founder Nik Daftary told TicketNews that the descriptive terms help people find the events they want to see based on their mood at the time, which Daftary believes is a more accurate way to find the right event.
“We looked at some of the most commonly used words that describe live music,” Daftary said. “The Web site is like calling up your friend and asking them what you should see that night.”
Currently, Turn2Live is concentrating its search features on the live music scene in Austin, TX, where Daftary is a former grad student. “On any given night, there might be 65 to 75 shows throughout the city, so it becomes very difficult to find what you’re in the mood to see.”
The site works like this, users click on a mood from one column, such as the ones mentioned above; then type in the date and time and Zip Code (Austin is 78701); and then click on “Show Me The Events.” The concerts that meet the user’s criteria will then be displayed. Plans call for users to be able to purchase tickets from the site, though many of the events are at small nightclubs where tickets are typically bought at the door.
Daftary said ticket sales will be concentrated through third-party primary vendors. He said there are currently no plans to add secondary ticket vendors, mainly because most of the venues are small so there is not enough demand for secondary ticket options for them. Turn2Live will generate revenue through commissions from ticket sales, and from contextual advertising in the future.
In early tests, women responded particularly favorably to the site, because they tend to be more in touch with their moods and emotions, Daftary said, and plans call for descriptive icons and other expressive search terms, like “romantic date night.”
Plans call for the site to expand into other major cities over the next year, and for an iPhone app that will allow for real-time updates from users on the types of shows in their area, Daftary said.