It has become a very common practice to follow celebrities, TV shows and artists on Twitter for all the latest updates. And for good reason too – Twitter is definitely a very fast platform, in terms of spreading the word around. And it’s also a decent enough platform to share pictures or article links between fans, or even have discussions around. But what if you want all of it under one application, and not have to pull out info and media from different sources?
Following your favourite entertainers has come a long way – right from the time of gossip sheets, to online forums, to Twitter and now finally apps. Downloading an app dedicated to your favourite musician, stand-up comedian, TV show or cricket team is probably the best way to keep a track of them.
What do you get?
There are a few basic things that are common across celebrity apps. For instance, these apps contain full bios of the artists and in case of teams or bands, each member gets their own bio page as well. Apart from that, users can also download wallpapers and pictures. And depending on the artist or the record label, multimedia content such as videos or audio tracks may be available for download either free of cost or as paid content, via in-app purchases.
For instance, Ranbir Kapoor Fan Club app, tailor made by Hungama.com for BlackBerry World, lets users stream audio or video files online via the app. MTV’s Coke Studio also has an app that lets users browse through and download music. Users can also buy entire buy all episodes via the app.
Apps made for sports teams are probably the most interesting ones. They keep bios of all the players, history and trivia of the team, the team’s standings on the league’s points tables and of course, heated arguments over why they are better than the rivals.
Case in point, is FC Barcelona’s plethora of official apps. On one hand, you have the traditional FCB Live! app that provides all the basics. On the other hand, you get interactive apps such as FCB Street Run, a gaming app, and also FCB Fantasy Manager 2013, where you can build your own team lineup.
Fuelling an industry
Celebrities and establishments too have realised the potential of such apps, and artists are now flocking to developers to get these customised and personalised applications so that they now reach out to their fans and keep them updated about their work.
These customised mobile apps are also materialising as a platform for upcoming artists and newbies – the apps are helping them reach to out a new audience, drive-up paid content and retain customers by continuously engaging them.
SnapLion is one such app development company that delivers to artists. While speaking to eWorld, Nikhil Sama, CEO and Founder of Snaplion explained the need and nitty-gritties of building a customised mobile app. According to Sama, it is just as important for any brand to have a mobile application as is to maintain a website, because of increasing number of smartphone users.
He also says that the boom in customised apps industry is also enabling upcoming artists to reach out to audiences. “Up to a year ago, the cost of making and maintaining a customised app for a celebrity was anywhere between Rs 10-15 lakhs. We started delivering apps quickly and for as low as $99 a month, bringing that cost down dramatically,” said Sama.
SnapLion enables artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Humble The Poet and Midival Pundits to keep their albums, singles and podcasts synced in-app with iTunes, Beatport & SoundCloud. Upcoming gigs and tours, latest news or releases are also sent out via push notifications to users. Users can also buy content via the dedicated apps. The artists also get fan statistics and usage trends for optimisation at a later stage.
And along with the customised apps, some developers are also building dedicated fan apps. One such developer is Arpit Sachdeva, who has published scores of fan apps, from Bollywood celebrities to football clubs, across multiple platforms.
So if you’re a fan, maybe an app on your smartphone will be as credible as the tattoo on the back of your neck.