We’ve been covering the growing number of big-artist partnerships signed by Openstage in recent times, with Radiohead, Hayley Williams, Bad Bunny and Oasis among the clients using its tech for ticket pre-sales.
Now the startup is expanding its scope with the launch of something called ‘Fanbase API’, which it describes as “a toolkit that enables artists to build fully custom fan apps, powered by their fan data”.
Yes, artist apps are back, Back, BACK! as a concept, with Openstage stressing that its tools have been designed to be as flexible as possible for clients.
“A custom community app that looks and feels like them, a gamified fan world where show attendance, streams, and social invites all earn rewards, or a city-wide scavenger hunt tied to an album drop where fans race each other to a secret listening event,” are three examples it suggested as possibilities.
The toolset is launching with a pair of prominent clients, too: Gorillaz and Yungblud. The former have used Fanbase API to launch their Kong Studios virtual world, complete with digital-wallet passes to access tickets, content and new parts of the world.
Yungblud, meanwhile, is using the platform for his new YBHQ fan community, which launched its waitlist earlier this month. It’s promising free gifts, exclusive content and videos, as well as members-only events and ultimately “physical spaces” around the world.
The pitch, as ever, is that the artists will own all the data generated by fans. “Your fans log in to your world, not someone else’s. Their data belongs to you,” said chief product officer Rob Abelow.
The ghosts of long-gone artist-app / fan-community platforms – Mobile Roadie, Backplane and more – hover over new ventures in this space. But Openstage will be hoping the calibre of its clients, and a new wave of enthusiasm from artists around owning their fan spaces, will ensure Fanbase API stays out of the superfan-platforms deadpool.
