Defining the problem
I wanted to have some data to start with so I approached 8 of my friends who happen to be musicians, singers, production artist. And they provided me with some key insights for my study.
Insights from interview
They all said there is no proper platform for them to kickstart their career. All of them get gigs through referrals and their own personal network. ❌
One of the main challenges that independent artists face is the lack of exposure and opportunities to perform or showcase their work.
This can make it difficult for them to gain recognition and build a fan base, which is essential for the success of any artist.
Current Scenario
The one way how artists overcome this challenge is to use social media and other online platforms to promote their work and connect with potential fans and collaborators.
Another way for independent artists to find opportunities is to network with other artists and industry professionals. They attend events, workshops, and conferences where they can meet other artists and learn about opportunities in the industry.
These artists also join online communities and forums where they can connect with other artists and learn about new opportunities and resources.
In terms of finding opportunities to perform or showcase their work, these artists look for local events and venues that support indie artists.
Artist Story
If you’re an indie artist, you want to be:
Seen in the limelight and start off your career 🌟
Quickly be able to find a list of all the available events happening in real time.
Able to look for gigs, catered to your needs.
Able to showcase your talent.
Business Story
If you’re a business owner, you want to:
Quickly see a variety of artists according to their needs.
Set budgets, timing, locations so they can select relevant artists.
Set up an identity where artists can approach them.
Hire artists which are talented, so they can look at their past works, testimonials, artists overall profile.
An application which helps indie artists to find temporary or full time gigs.
To arrive at this decision I had to move backwards and think from an artist’s perspective basically his primary motive of why is he using the app.
What I then focused on was the speed. An artist should be quickly be able to see a plethora of options.
Business Side
One of my friend is a Dj at a nightclub so I got in touch with the event manager to get more clarity about the current scenario.
After artist looks at the gig information location, budget, duration, requirements are the elements which will drive decision making.
Pain points solved
Personalized experienced for artists to find opportunities.
No real time tracking of events and artist
Lack of transparency.
So I asked the following questions
What are the current solutions ?
As of now the managers look for artists on other social media/ communities platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Reddit.
Was there any time when current solutions wasn’t viable?
The current solutions are time consuming and may or may not always be accustomed to their needs.
How else have you tried to tackle the problem?
They have a community on platofrms like reddit, discord and whatsapp. But these existing solutions are not as organized.
Homepage
The homepage will consist of all the artist available for that specific gig. Businesses will be able to get a comprehensive look at the artist's profile.
It will have the following information to make relevant decisions
3 options given
Work
Services
Testimonials
Links to other profile
Each of these categories provide a certain infromation about the artist which gives an overview and credibility about the artist.
Pain Points solved
Time saving
ease of finding unique talent
Preview each artist's performance before hiring
It would help to ensure their style matches the event.Review System for both businesses and artist's to build a reliable community.
After artist looks at the gig information location, budget, duration, requirements are the elements which will drive decision making.
Pain points solved
Personalized experienced for artists to find opportunities.
No real time tracking of events and artist
Lack of transparency.
Future Prospects
Building communities in the app’s ecosystem for various purposes. Hirey could also provide valuable resources and information for indie musicians, such as advice on how to market themselves and tips for securing gigs.
Harnessing potential
Musicians are just the starting point of the application. Any indie artist like comedian, magician, even a public speaker, the app will cater to many creative fields in real time for short term or long term gigs.
Key takeaways
Working on this personal project really opened my avenues of critical thinking. I devised solutions for each pain point of the user. I looked beyond seemingly perfect solution in order to make it simple and intuitive. By identifying the needs of an artist and a business owner I was able to find a gap.