Blog issues...fixed!

We've moved our blog from a homegrown error-prone solution over to Blogger.com. It looks like garbage but at least we don't have to troubleshoot anymore. Look for some modifications and more posts soon!

TMC Premium sites

You may have noticed a slight modification to the front of the site tonight -- the addition of the TMC Premium sites.

These sites were where the genesis for TMC started -- well, it started with Springsteentracker.com and grew into the others. After Springsteentracker.com, we tried madonnatracker.com, then u2tracker.com and dixiechickstracker.com.

These sites have a little extra to them -- similar in the idea that you track your shows and are able to interact with other artist fanatics -- the premium sites have a greater artist branding and allow you to actually purchase custom tour t-shirts with the shows you've seen listed on the back.

We are interested in knowing if there are other artists out there that you would like to see have a similar treatment. Let us know.

In the meantime, why not give 'em a visit:

www.springsteentracker.com
www.madonnatracker.com
www.dixiechickstracker.com
www.u2tracker.com

r.

RSS Feeds added for every band!

We've finally entered the year 2006 by adding RSS feeds for all your favorite bands' upcoming shows so now you'll never miss another one. If you are a band you can now take your shows with you to other sites -- but really, why would you?

Look for the RSS symbol () at the bottom of the "Upcoming Shows" box on each band page.

More sites, everywhere we look

As we get closer and closer to becoming feature complete for the first rollout of TMC, we keep bumping into other great sites that offer pieces of what we offer - 3 so far and I'm sure there are more out there in various states of dress.

I'd like to think that no one else had the same notion as we did but I know that is far-fetched. The key is to be different enough so that we complement the other sites and we are all working with the best interest of the artists in mind.

Some sites offer a way to manage a tour, others focus on the social networking side, most play music, have favorites, have blogs and have personal and band pages (this very site is no exception to most of those options).

Where we differ is we focus on the LIVE show and your LIVE legacy. If you are interested in sharing your love of live music, we are the site for that. If you are interested in demonstrating and expanding your road myth, that's us too. If you are interested in a cheap, be my friend, social network, umm, go to MySpace or one of its clones, this isn't the place for you.

My question is, as a fan of live music or a band that performs live music, what do you want in a website? Is MySpace enough? Should we all just build tools for MySpace and let them innovate?

I say no, you?

Wud

Upcoming shows - What's the point?

As a band, you know the importance of getting the word out for an upcoming show but is it worth the effort to do so in TMC? Good question.

One of the things to remember is that on TMC every band is treated equally so if you are The Boss or The Screech, you are an equal...unless you don't put your upcoming shows into the site.

Our featured band section (on the front and on the front page of the Browse Bands area) and the 6 featured tour artists are all in order of the NEXT show so if you haven't added your upcoming shows, well, you won't appear here.

Also, the shows you've already added to the site will appear on your Tracker Map as soon as the show is done (well, as soon as today becomes yesterday, or something like that) so you will only have to add photos, video and your set lists and your fans will be able to add that show as soon as they get home.

Let us know what other features you'd like to see as a featured artist.

Wud.

So what's with all the hints?

As we iron out the bugs on the site, I figured I would focus the efforts of this little blog on helping make the site a little easier to use -- hence all the tips.

At some point, hopefully soon, I'll shift focus to other, more relevant (read: interesting) issues around live music.

In the meantime, if you haven't seen them already, we have a few video tutorials in our FAQ section.

How do I share my page?

We've had a number of trackers ask us how to share their fan or band pages with others in an easy to remember way. It is simple.

When you registered with TMC as a band or a fan a simple URL was assigned to you based on the band name or your username. This can be found right above your map and is title "TMC URL".

So, for example, to see all my tracked shows you can head to http://www.trackmyconcerts.com/fan/woodrow and to see all the latest BoxKutters upcoming and past shows, head to http://www.trackmyconcerts.com/band/boxkutters (note that if you are looking for your personal page, the address includes "fan" and if you are looking for your band page the address includes "band").

Pretty simple!

Show of your life?

Is there one show that you just can't forget? One that you measure all others against? One that no matter how many more times you see an artist nothing compares? Well that's the show of your life. For me it was seeing Springsteen from the front row in Toronto on May 3, 2000.

To add your favorite show you've got to log in and hit your personal TMC page (click the "My TMC" link in the navigation).

Now look for this image: . Click it.

Your page should reload and you will now see the show of your life along the left column, under your photo.

Feel free to let us know what show you can't forget and why!

Got Your Space @ MySpace?

No worries. All your efforts over here aren't for naught. You can actually grab your map -- both fan and band -- and put it right smack dab in the middle of your MySpace page, your blog, personal website, band site, whatever.

Find the map you want, look for this image: and copy and paste the code that appears in that window...that simple!

If you end up adding a map to a site - let us know!

Wud.

Welcome!

This site got me to thinking about how serious fans were about thier live music and how important music was and is to me. I would spend hard-earned dollars on a live concert, wait in line (sometimes for days!), pray that the artist was on, that we would see a gem or a tour premiere and then, when the lights go up, walk out of the venue and almost instantly forget about it.

Now, with cameras and video on phones those shows live, for better or worse, on the internet in sites like YouTube or FLICKR so why shouldn't they live on a map, a map that is all about me or my favourite band?

More a little later. For now, enjoy the site! We'd love to hear about how you came across the site and what your thoughts are.

Wud.