Louisville-based app helping to boost local music scene

GOOD EVENING. I’M VICKI DORTCH AND I’M RICK VAN HOOSE, THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE IS STILL REBOUNDING FROM THE PANDEMIC AND A NEW APP CREATED RIGHT HERE IN LOUISVILLE MAY BE JUST THE THING TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. WLKY THROUGH GARDNER TALKED TO ONE OF THE APP’S FOUNDERS AND JOINS US LIVE NOW FROM THE WLKY NEWSROOM WITH A LOOK AT HOW IT HOPES TO SHINE A LIGHT ON LOUISVILLE’S UNTAPPED TALENT. DREW WELL, VICKI, THE APP IS ESSENTIALLY A PLACE TO SHARE YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC, BUT WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LOCAL ARTISTS, IT NOT ONLY HELPS YOU FIND THEIR MUSIC, BUT ALSO WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM PERFORM IT LIVE. I THINK THERE’S JUST SUCH A DIVERSE COMMUNITY HERE OF GENRES THAT REALLY SETS LOUISVILLE APART FROM OTHER CITIES. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TALK TO, YOU KNOW, A FOR VERY LONG TO FIND OUT. HE KNOWS HIS MUSIC, ESPECIALLY THE MUSIC YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF AS OF LIKE LITERALLY THREE YEARS AGO. I JUST REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH LOUISVILLE’S MUSIC SCENE AND I BELIEVE THAT IT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION. THAT LED RAO AND HIS FRIEND JOHN GEDDES INTO THE UNFAMILIAR WORLD OF TECH. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT TO A CONCERT, HEARD A NEW SONG, OR DISCOVERED A NEW ARTIST AND COULDN’T WAIT TO SHARE THEIR MUSIC WITH YOUR FRIENDS? I’M ONE OF THESE PEOPLE. I LOVE SHARING MUSIC WITH OTHERS, WHICH IS WHY WE CREATED GROUPIE. THE APP IS QUICKLY APPROACHING 1000 USERS AND RAO IS PREPARING FOR A RELAUNCH. WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS CREATE NOT ONLY THAT PLATFORM BUT BUILD A COMMUNITY TO ONE, LIKE HELP LOCAL MUSICIANS HAVE A BETTER FOLLOWING AND TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN LIKE EVENTS AND SUCH. THE NEXT PHASE OF THE APP WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS TO SHARE WHERE THEY’RE PERFORMING AND FOR LOCAL VENUES TO PREVIEW THE ARTISTS THEY’VE BOOKED, LIKE, LET’S SAY KAIJU BAR OR ZANZIBAR. THEY COULD CREATE AN ACCOUNTS TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR LOCAL EVENTS THAT USERS COULD SEE AND LISTEN TO THAT ARTISTS MUSIC WITHOUT HAVING TO GO TO SPOTIFY OR RAP MUSIC AND TO SEE WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE LOCAL SCENE IS REALLY AWESOME. I’VE GOTTEN SOME STREAMS ON PLAYLISTS THROUGH THAT APP. RILEY AARON DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A DIY ARTIST. HE RECORDS HIS OWN MUSIC AND DOES HIS OWN PROMOTION. BUT GETTING PEOPLE TO THE SHOWS IS TOUGH. TRYING TO GET A CROWD POOL OF PEOPLE TO COME IN TO NOT ONLY ENJOY YOUR MUSIC, BUT BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IT IS A LOT OF EFFORT THAT BURDEN HAS ALSO LED SEVERAL LOCAL VENUES TO CLOSE UP. BUT RAO HOPES HIS APP WILL HELP FILL THOSE VENUES ONCE AGAIN. YOU CAN DO ONLY SO MUCH THROUGH YOUR PHONE RIGHT? LIKE GROUPIE IS AN APP, BUT AT ITS CORE, IT’S A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE. LIKE, I WOULD LOVE FOR PEOPLE TO MEET THROUGH THE APP AND ACTUALLY GO TO A CONCERT AND EXPERIENCE THAT TOGETHER. FOR THE APPLE MARKET’S ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AND THEY EXPECT SOME NEW UPDATES TO GO ONLINE THEN IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN DOWNLOADING IT, WE HAVE LINKS RIGHT NOW ON OUR WEBSITE AND FRE