Today’s Killer Startup: StreetMusicMap
Elevator Pitch:
StreetMusicMap is “the world map of street musicians on Instagram.”
Why It’s A Killer Startup:
Street musicians are probably one of my favorite things about living in big cities, even if they sometimes also drive me nuts. (Like that effing guy in New York playing the #$^@& pan pipe versions of pop songs. He can go away forever.) How could you not be mesmerized by steel drum players or classically trained violinists or a badass jug band of gutter punks? Worldwide, street musicians make our cities more vibrant, beautiful, and danceable.
StreetMusicMap was started by Daniel Bacchieri in order to celebrate and support street musicians worldwide. The inspiration came when he saw a Ukrainian musician playing the plucked string “bandura” in the street in Kiev. It was August 2013 and Instagram had just released video. Bacchieri shot a 15-second video and thought, Why not do this for other musicians too?
Currently, StreetMusicMap is an Instagram feed of user-submitted videos of street musicians worldwide. Bacchieri curates the videos and also archives them on the StreetMusicMap website. Music lovers and musicians alike can go check out worldwide performances that previously could only be viewed by locals, or for the cost of a very expensive plane ticket.
And speaking of expensive plane tickets: travelers can also use the geolocated map to check out where they might find awesome musicians in new countries. It’s a great way to connect talented performers with a new audience, both in their own hometowns and worldwide! I also love that it’s totally collaborative and clearly exists for a straight-up love of music — which is super refreshing in this VC money-driven startup climate.
So go check it out. Groove to the beats of a rapper in Italy, a pianist in NYC, or a badass bucket drummer in Atlanta, Georgia. StreetMusicMap has them all.
Tweetable:
Groove to the beats of a rapper in Italy or a badass bucket drummer in Atlanta, Georgia. @streetmusicmap has them all!
Photo Credits:
StreetMusicMap | Jenny Lingstam/Flickr
