Kalamazoo Local Music keeps the scene connected

Sometimes a business born at Startup Weekend quickly dies as its founders head in other directions. Sometimes it finds a way to thrive. Kalamazoo Local Music came together in March 2011 at such a weekend and continues to grow.

 

Its founders saw a need for an event calendar that brought together the many music events happening locally, but today the business has evolved beyond that. And eventually its founders expect to develop an app that can be used nationwide based on what they have learned. 

 

It would allow bands to update their event information and control how it appears online and on their respective websites, says Daniel Proczko, one of the original four founders of Kalamazoo Local Music. 

 

The site currently adds event information manually, but ultimately it expects to be able to use an API to get information onto the site in a more streamlined fashion.

 

Beyond the demand for what Kalamazoo Local Music does, the company also has been a champion for the local music scene. Its website offers stories by music lovers that feature what's happening with local acts and staff picks of upcoming events. There's a section where local bands can list not only their upcoming events, but links to each of their social media outlets: websites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and Reverb Nation.

 

Proczko and Jennifer Anderson were the two who pitched the idea at Startup Weekend that became the website and business, Kalamazoo Local Music. 

 

Proczko says when he came to the Kalamazoo area five years ago he had no idea what was cool and where to go. Both were radio station employees. Proczko was on air talent, a deejay, and Anderson was a producer. 

 

There was a lot to check out in the area -- enough for Kalamazoo to be ranked a leading center for musicians and the music industry in a study reported in the Atlantic that looked at the concentration of musicians and music related businesses.  "It's a scene that's vibrant, thriving and growing," Proczko says. 

 

Recognizing a need for the kind of information they wanted and with the ability to build web sites, they also realized they would need help to make their idea a reality and so they headed to Startup Weekend where they found four others who liked the idea. Eventually, two of the original group bowed out. Proczko, Anderson, Brandy Gully and John Potter now make up the leadership of Kalamazoo Local Music.

 

Seven writers and two photographers round out the roster. Marketers will be the next added to the staff.  

 

Kalamazoo Local Music has found that bands often turn to it for assistance as they try to pull together the digital press kits they need. "We take an advisors role," Proczko says.

 

It also helps bands make contact with local venues and can put on events for them there. Marketing services and its ability to turn its dedicated readership into an audience for local bands is one aspect the company may be building upon in the future.

 

At the same time, Kalamazoo Local Music is working to bring a major festival to the area in 2014.

 

Stay tuned for details.