Idea Submission

Grey Skies Music

A music listings website for Manchester that embraces web 2.0 and is social network friendly with Editorial content.

Submitted by GreySkies.

The individuals involved have a wealth of music industry PR and music website editorial experience and will utilize their knowledge and contacts in these areas to create a cohesive Music website that will benefit Manchester music fans, bands, promoters, photographers, budding music writers and those who visit the city in search of music entertainment.

The editorial content on the site will deal with the live band and club show scene that exists in the city with a view to featuring as many different genres as possible. In order to gain a wider audience national artists playing shows in the city at venues like the Apollo or Manchester Academy will be covered. Local artists will also be covered providing them with a platform to showcase their music and gigs alongside artists that are successful at a national and international level. For example a Q&A with an act like Simian Mobile Disco would sit next to a review of a new band playing their first gig in Manchester. The editors of the site and a team of writers and photographers will write the content.

The basic principles of the site will be that of a traditional music editorial and listings site; however what will make the website unique will be it's focus on social networking and phone app technology.

By harnessing the powers of web 2.0 the site will look to appeal to a new generation of music fans, musicians and promoters in Manchester and will look to bring them together as an online community via the social networks that will be set up within the site. For example the site will feature a show bulletin board that musicians and promoters will be able to update in real time.

Furthermore a phone application will be developed enabling people to experience all of the interactive site features from their handset. This would be especially useful when individuals are on the move but wanting to know what music events are occurring instantly in Manchester. The phone application will be the first of it's kind to cover music in Manchester and as the city is currently going through a renaissance with many of it's new acts making an impact nationally it feels like the perfect time to embrace new technologies to improve the coverage of music in the city.

A site like the one proposed will provide a fresh approach to music coverage in Manchester and it will be of benefit to the plethora of acts and music fans that call the city home.

With a grant of £5000 we would be able to do the following

Create the website Develop the phone application Hold a website launch evening featuring established local acts