SHOW HAPPENING NEXT MONTH!
BandHouse
Live music discovery
Case study
2024 · ongoing
iOS · Swift · Firebase
An iOS app I built so local shows are easier to find, place on a map, and follow in real time instead of chasing stories and screenshots.
Overview
I spend a lot of time around local music: small venues, house shows, flyers in group chats. The shows are there, but the information is not in one dependable layer.
BandHouse is the product I am building to fix that. It is a map-first iOS app with a chronological feed so you can see when and where shows are happening near you and who is playing, then plan a night out without digging through five different surfaces.
THE PROBLEM
SEEMS BACKWARDS RIGHT? TRYING TO FIND A SHOW FOR TONIGHT ONLY FOR IT TO BE A POST THEY MADE TWO MONTHS AGO. (AND THIS IS ONLY IF YOU'RE IN THE SCENE AND KNOW THE RIGHT ACCOUNTS THAT ARE STILL ACTIVE.)
BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT. YOU RELY ON YOUR FRIENDS FOR INVITES. LETS SEE HOW THAT GOES.
THE PROBLEM
Feeds bury the one post that matters. BandHouse is built so local shows are easier to find without digging through five different surfaces.
This is the show happening tonight
but you didn't find it, so you text your friends. You ask what's the move, ask about shows, see the typing bubble, then get "idk."
DONT JUST TAKE IT FROM ME (WE DID 40+ INTERVIEWS)
85
%
RELY ON WORD OF MOUTH TO FIND EVENTS.
90
%
THINK THE CURRENT LIVE MUSIC SCENE IS UNORGANIZED.
70
%
WANT TO ATTEND MORE SHOWS BUT DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START.
100
%
OF THOSE 18-20 RELY ON CONCERTS FOR SOCIAL REASONS. (THIRD SPACES ARE DISAPPEARING SORRY WE HAD TO MAKE ROOM FOR APARTMENT COMPLEXES)
Solution
Simple really,
just make it chronological and now its much easier to make plans. We also allow easy access to buy tickets on our app.
WE ALSO LISTENED TO OUR EARLY ADOPTERS. THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHERE SHOWS WERE RELATIVE TO WHERE THEY ARE, SO WE MADE IT HAPPEN.
The Bandhouse App
Chronological feed
No need to dig to find a plan for the night. We offer it to you as the first thing. Don't know what to do? Open the app: the first thing is something you and your friends can actually go to.
Map discovery
Pins for venues and shows so distance and neighborhood stay visible. You are not stuck in a single list sorted by whoever paid for placement.
Flyer-first cards
Flyers carry identity for local music. They stay primary in the layout so the app feels like the culture it is serving, not a generic events marketplace.
Event context
Lineup, time, and place stay in one clear view so you can decide fast if a night fits the vibe. Context is visible before you commit, not buried behind extra taps.
Calendar view
We even made a calendar view for those who really like to be organized. Scan the month, see what is landing on which night, and plan further out without losing the same show data as the feed.
Security
School emails can sign up right away. Non-school emails must request access and are manually reviewed before entry. This keeps the show layer safer by staying mainly accessible to students and trusted people in the scene.
Design approach
Organized
Informative
Clarity
SCENE-FOCUSED
Visual language
The interface stays close to what you see on walls and in group chats: bold type, flyer imagery up front, and enough restraint that the map and feed stay readable when you are moving between venues at night.
Product goal
I am optimizing for adoption in real scenes. The goal is to spread it to customers first, then bands. From there, it is self-sustaining. Organizing this scene means helping promote smaller events and giving people easier access to make connections.
