Two SA companies move further into live music

Two South Australian companies have been given support to commercially develop new technology to help Adelaide’s live music industry.

Two months ago, the Connected Music City Challenge competition for tech innovators was announced by SA music cluster organisation Musitec, supported by the Adelaide City Council, IBM, Adelaide Fringe, Flinders New Venture Institute, and the SA Government’s Music Development Office.

Codefish Studio and Conor Barkway were declared the joint winners. Jack Haines’ Codefish Studios designed a mobile app that integrates with iBeacon technology in music venues that rewards people for supporting live music and allows them to invite friends to join them at live gigs. Conor Barkway’s concept, MUNITY, creates a digital medium in which SA live music lovers can connect and interact with each other after a shared interest in particular, live music scenes. Each receive 12-months access to IBM’s Global Entrepreneurship Program, valued at $24,000.

A third entrant, Dream Aviator Productions, also aroused interest for its concept incorporating the use of staging technology, social media, and live audio/visual streaming to promote live music events as they happen. It received a St Paul’s Creative Centre membership, a Venture Dorm scholarship and mentoring from Musitec. In a surprise announcement, Challenge judge Philip Vafiadis – Chairman of Musitec and Innovyz, and owner of global speaker manufacturing company VAF – offered an extra $1,000 to help the development of the concept.

David Grice, Managing Director of Musitec said it was a thrill to work such ideas come to fruition. “Musitec’s role is to bring teams together from within music and technology industries to collaborate, develop business models and ideas, and commercialise the ideas into the global market.”

Acting Manufacturing and Innovation Minister Leon Bignell said live music scene was a great contributor to SA’s economy. “In 2014, the industry contributed $263 million to the state’s economy, and generated 4,100 local jobs,” he said. “Nationally, the music industry contributed around $15.7 billion to Australia’s economy.”