Jazz and mobile technology

Jazz Tenor great Sonny Rollins has an application for the iPhone that allows you to watch video performances, listen to his music, check his performance schedule, and even purchase tickets. Furthermore, with a simple tap of the ‘Buy’ button, you can purchase and download his music directly from the iTunes store.

Think about that: An American classic and original art form, converging with modern mobile technology. Even better, this mobile technology happens to be the most popular and widely used platform on the planet.

The brilliance of iPods, iPhones, and iTunes is how its embraced by people across generations. Obviously, the younger crowd is always up on the hippest, hottest things with clothes, music, and technology. But with the simplicity of how everything that is ‘i’ works, the element of intimidation is minimized, encouraging older demographics to invest in the easy-to-learn gadgetry.

Another thing to think about: The opportunity for broadening the audience of jazz enthusiasts WORLDWIDE. This really spikes the musician’s sales potential. There are over 35 million iPhone users in the world - how’s that for a customer base?

The point? While traditional methods of promoting music (especially jazz) is proven and still practiced, its high time we embrace and leverage technology to supplement, but not replace our current methods. This requires having an open mind to new things, and a little reading, but it does not require programming, or learning how to program; which is a good thing for us non-coders.

And while Sonny Rollins has opened his mind to technology (and significantly increased his already wide visibility), waving the jazz flag is not restricted to the musicians alone. Jazz enthusiasts have the same opportunity to spread the word. So what do you say? Are you ready to wave the flag?

Cheers!

The Free Sonny Rollins iPhone App can be downloaded at
http://www.tinyurl.com/sonnyrollinsapp