Check out these Black-owned apps that have been recognized by Eric Bellinger, SXSW, and The Source.
1. Fanbase
Fanbase is a subscription-based app that allows creators to easily monetize their content. Founded by veteran songwriter-producer Isaac Hayes III, the app was able to raise $1 million worth of funding in record time through crowd-investing platform Startup Engine, with an additional $1.7 million waitlisted. (Fun fact: I was one of the early investors! I discovered Fanbase on Clubhouse.)
Download the app and watch this to see how Hayes made history:
2. Jammber
Split sheets are how song creators keep track of who owns what percentage of each song. Even in 2021, split sheets can be a total headache. Some collaborators still insist on using that good ol’ pen and paper. Recognized by USA Today and Rolling Stone, Jammber has set out to change that. Founded by CEO Marcus Cobb in 2013, they are already an official sponsor of SXSW. Jammber’s Splits app, which launched during the A3C Festival in 2018, helps build an automated workflow for composition and recording splits management. It even allows for you to share song splits with your PRO, publisher, and other agencies. According to their website, Emmy-nominated and 20x Platinum mixing engineer Geeflow, who’s worked with the likes of Justin Bieber and Travis Scott, is a fan.
Check out this demo below:
3. The Cookout
Have you heard of The Cookout app? No not that Cookout app, the other one. Wait—there’s two? Well, there was. Original Cookout app co-founder and multidisciplinary creative Kiki Bryant took to Medium, Twitter, and eventually Clubhouse, to air out her grievances concerning trademark infringement, among other offenses. The Cookout is an invitation-only app created by three LGBT+ Black women, Kiki Bryant, Cassandra Osei, and Atiyya Hassan, intended to provide an inclusive and safe online space “#ForTheCulture [and to] #ForwardTheCulture.”
It boasts about 8K members and is available on the web, the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store.
4. The LABZ
The LABZ collaborative workspaces allow for teams to “seamlessly collaborate, protect and showcase creative work.” Founded by Farah Allen in 2017, the blockchain startup has been lauded by film and music makers alike, attracting the likes of multi-Platinum Grammy-nominated songwriter Tami LaTrell, who eventually joined the team as CMO. Featured on CBS News and in publications like The Guardian, The LABZ has shown a lot of promise. Stay tuned for some exciting developments.
5. Indie
Indie, as featured in AfroTech and The Source, is an app that helps uncover “the curator in you.” It pays fans to watch and rate content. The app also offers rewards for playlist curation and hosts cool challenges with the likes of Eric Bellinger. Fan ratings help brands determine which undiscovered talent to pay attention to.
It was founded by Emory grad Kemar Darlington, who’s an artist himself. Since its inception in 2018, Indie has generated over $3.5 million of revenue and amassed over 1 million users. The app currently is no longer accepting beta testers or artist submissions, but we’ll keep you posted when it opens back up.
Want to know more about all things music tech? Be sure to tap in with us in our Bounce House club on Clubhouse and follow us on Twitter to stay in the loop. See you next Tech Tuesday!
