I remember back then, back in the days when time was either sunshine or night, when music was our pied piper and we were weary but never tired. Fourteen years later, I’m exhausted. The thought of starting my night at 11 p.m. is laughable and I’m cranky when things are loud. Cultivating a curmudgeonly outlook isn’t always the problem when it comes to keeping up with the dance music scene. Maybe you work nine-to-five, have a mortgage, kids, can’t get in. Whatever derailed your It Boy or Girl status, a digital life raft has been thrown your way.
London-based Be At TV—or b@—is a virtual clubbing Web site with a two-pronged approach: divas-turned-mommies, reformed club kids and anyone whose mad money has turned into fodder for budget balancing in the downturn can keep abreast of the latest bedroom tracks and epic sets across the globe; and DJs can use b@ as a powerful viral marketing tool to spread their version of the gospel of the dance floor.
“Almost every DJ has our films on their Myspace page,” says co-founder Ray Smith.
It’s Alive!
B@ is the Franken-child of former Silicon Valley technology strategist Smith and U.K. youth marketer Damian Mould—of Slice fame. With a love of dance music and savvy instincts as common denominators, the duo unveiled b@—launched in the U.K. in February—to U.S. consumers at Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference (WMC) March 24-28.
The site is a series of video channels with footage of destination dance floors from London to Singapore to New York. In most cases, several videos from an event compliment a DJ’s full set. And a viral component is added to the mix: the still-avid beat chaser can log on to tag themselves in videos from all the blistering venues, and to post their own footage.
According to Smith, 95 percent of influential American DJs and venues were already aware of b@ prior to March. WMC was about handing out 10,000 silicon wristbands to consumers and filming 25 events so they can relive the experience.
“[Before b@] there was no real centralized place to get full DJ sets, to hear the whole story,” says Smith.
Show Me the Money
While Smith sites staying “as authentic as possible” as a b@ goal, partner Mould’s connections have apparently landed the site heavyweight sponsors including Bacardi and Southern Comfort. With success comes responsibility, and Smith is quick to point out that “[b@] cannot show anything that is even remotely in excess” to protect its sponsor brands. I cast my memory back to some compromising observations I made back then and the lofty positions to which some of those compromised have subsequently risen, and mention this to Smith as a possible deterrent to participation.
“I think people love the exposure. They’re fighting to jump in front [of the camera]—it’s a different generation,” he laughs.
Target Audience Weighs In
B@ posts about 15 sets per week and pays out about 20 percent of its gross advertising revenue to agencies. Is it worth it? Flying all over the world, chasing bacchanalia, and branding yourself as the go-to platform for an elusive audience to discover dazzling tracks that might not otherwise see the light of day? “For marketing [DJs], it’s a really brilliant tool,” says Smith.
So what about that elusive trend-setting set—the target audience for b@? “[It’s a] really difficult audience to get to,” says Smith. B@ appears to be getting to them. Smith shares that between March 30 and April 6, b@ had 44,130 unique visitors—mostly from the U.S., U.K. and Australia, but also from Russia, France, Brazil, Mexico and more.
Since 1994, Alex Mynatt has attended 13 WMCs and has built a business on staying ahead of the curve when it comes to the dance music space. Seldom Seen Music NYC has made Mynatt the Johnny iPodseed of New York City. He delivers his clients—high-end boutiques, salons and lounges—fully-loaded iPod nanos that they can subsequently exchange for new ones filled with ever fresher playlists.
What does he think of b@? “It seems like it’s more ravey than what I’m into,” he says. “There’s no deep house on the home page—it needs more variety. I would put deep house, hip hop. Even if I saw one deep house dude…my friend would like it, but he’s into that stuff.”
Mynatt notices that Singapore’s Zuke is featured on the site. “My friend from Singapore, if I sent him this he’d be like, dude, this is great,” Mynatt concedes, and when asked says he would use b@ to keep up with music.
Southwest Florida music agent Tiffany Guttenplan—also a WMC alum—cut her teeth on the dance floors of New York City. Now in her mid-30s, she is the kind of elegant, worldly and overbooked professional that b@ is hoping to attract.
Guttenplan raves: “I love the site—very sleek and iPod-esq. I'm so technologically challenged but this would be so cool if it was on Apple TV, so you could put it on a TV at a party or something…maybe you can do this already,” she trails off, contemplating the next step in entertainment that will constantly elude the constantly unsatisfied.
Guttenplan thinks the b@ is easy to navigate, and that the platform would translate well to other music genres like jam bands. “People can follow their bands online since most of us no longer have the freedom to travel around to shows,” she says. “It would be great to listen to new songs as well as experience the energy of the crowd. Watching how [music] moves people is where all the beauty is—to me at least—and since all of us can’t travel around due to too much freaking responsibility...this is a great way to reach people.”
Guttenplan jets to interview musicians in order to put a band together for The Powerhouse Group. “It’s ridiculously time consuming. Good luck with your story,” she says in parting.
Potential Partner
Overall, it seems that DJs currently have the most to gain from this platform. Smith points out that a Brazilian DJ, for example, may only have two tour dates per year, but can keep a solid connection with a fan in, say, Wichita, Kan. who can obtain perhaps one CD per year. Smith reminds me that b@ is providing 15 DJ sets per week of exposure and entertainment. “We’re just cutting out all the middle men,” he says.
So what does a potential partner think of b@? DJ Ray Coker specializes in soulful House. Coker’s Soulmovement events are nearly 20 years strong and have spread his sound from Florida’s Simons to London and throughout Scandinavia. At this point in his career, Coker is also producing music for other DJs, so a platform like b@ could mean exposure for both his own music and that of his collaborators.
After checking out b@ on two consecutive weeks, Coker decides he likes the overall concept and potential. “I like the concept of the site, which is to bring exclusive live clubbing events so people can experience the vibe of the night,” he says, adding that the intro is creative and compelling. “I thought it was cool that the camera angles did not just focus on the DJs, but on the people who come and support the music, which I feel is the most important.”
As an international businessman, b@’s global context is appealing to Coker. He did experience some glitches, including problems locating other members of the site. “It needs a way to get more interaction with present members,” he says.
Both Mynatt and Coker would like to see a more in-depth “About Us” section on the site. “Probably want to mention what the mission is of b@ other than just in the intro so people can get an idea what it’s trying to promote,” says Coker, thinking of promotion possibilities.
When it comes to an online business, the bottom line is not just the brilliance of the product, but the usability—will people use the site? Will they return?
Business aside, by the end of the couple of weeks it takes me to flesh out this story, I’m regularly logging on to b@ in lieu of Pandora or Grooveshark—especially while working. Since the WMC, Smith reports a 68 percent increase in uniques to b@. Maybe I’m not the only one.
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