BandBond, a free smartphone app created by Dark Tranquility keyboardist Martin Brändström that connects metal bands and fans, has launched.
By signing up for a free account, BandBond promises fans will “never miss a post from their favorite artists again.”
In addition to native posts and making available all content from artists that are followed, BandBond consolidates posts from Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
At present, more than 300 bands, including Alien Weaponry, Behemoth, Employed to Serve, Lacuna Coil, Conjurer and Meshuggah, have signed up to BandBond pre-launch.
According to Brändström, the idea of BandBond was born out of his frustration with the fact that Dark Tranquility’s communication with its fans had a “gatekeeper in the shape of drastically increased price tags set by the social media giants.”
“The relationship between a band and its fans is unique and not something you can market like toothpaste or soft drinks,” he explained. “Without sponsoring a post you will only reach a fraction of your followers.
“It’s really kind of strange that someone can charge you to reach the fans that actually wants to be reached, and to make you pay for the display of content that you yourself, as a band, has created which generates traffic to their platform.”
BandBond 1.0 is available now, with future features and directions to be “dictated by the needs of the bands and the metal community.”
To download the free BandBond app, head to the Apple App Store or Google Play.
