Launched earlier this week by Tony Livadas and Anthony Pisano, two DJs and producers who got their start here in Broward County as solo DJs and members of Brass Knuckles, Jam Compass is a quick way for musicians to find fellow collaborators in their area.
It might seem like an intuitive idea, but it can actually be quite difficult connecting with the right musicians out in the real world. As a producer myself, it's a familiar scenario: Someone may sound great on another record or when you saw them out live, so you hire them for your session, but in the end, things just don't work out once you get into the studio together. Jam Compass has the potential to simplify that process and make finding the right person much easier and faster. Think of it as Tinder for musicians.
The app is currently free, and signing in and creating a profile was painless. I signed in via email, uploaded a photo, and selected my skills, what style I wanted to make, and my location. Now I can view nearby musicians via GPS and message them if I want to talk about a potential collaboration. (By the way, who wants to sing on my new track?)
I caught up with Pisano to learn more about Jam Compass, how it was developed, and what it could mean for the local scene and beyond.
New Times: It seems like any musician or producer would be excited about this. How has the response been so far?"...there were a ton of dating apps coming out everyday, but none for musicians to find each other."
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Anthony Pisano: For just making the transition out of beta, the response has been great. We’ve talked with many musicians and people in the industry, and they’ve all said this is much-needed.
How did you two originally meet?
Anthony was DJ'ing locally in South Florida, and I had a recording studio. Our mutual friend brought Anthony to the studio for a session, which turned into tons of music over the years, eventually leading to this app.
So tell us more about how Jam Compass was born.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. As musicians, and being involved in different musical projects over the years, finding musicians and
What plans do you have in place to market the app? Will you be doing any launch events?
We are launching the app this week during Techweek in Los Angeles. We will be competing in the Launch startup competition. Following Techweek, we will be launching online marketing campaigns working with some of the top music and tech blogs. We also plan to work with some respected music influencers to help spread the word along with throwing a bunch of Jam Compass events in 2016, where music meets tech.
What is your goal for the Jam Compass App? What would make this project a huge success?
One of our main goals is to provide the ultimate tool for musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, and music industry professionals. We want to build a community within the app, as well as in the real world, through live events and meetups.
What do you think of the South Florida scene? Has it changed since you started out?
The scene in South Florida has changed tremendously since we first started out. South Florida is usually pretty up to date with whatever music is buzzing at the time. Being a part of that, you learn to evolve with the times and learn several different styles until they mold together to become your own.
Adam Foster is a South Florida-based DJ and producer, founder of twilightnotes.com, and entertainment director for the Restaurant People. He was named best DJ of 2014 by New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Follow him on SoundCloud, and like him on Facebook.
