On behalf of the entire staff at Indie on the Move, I would like to introduce you to our entirely new site! Indie on the Move 2.0, so to speak.

When we unveiled Indie on the Move in late 2008, offering a meticulously checked and updated library of performance venues and contact information to DIY touring bands for free, we raised a few skeptical eyebrows from our demographic of rightfully jaded indie bands.

Many of you probably used some of the old books and websites offering venue lists and contact information, but a lot of those were devoted mainly to larger venues that fledgling indie bands could only hope to appeal to someday, and all seemed to be far too expensive for the often inaccurate or out of date information they provided.

When we started out, planning and then launching Indie on the Move, the goal was to offer up-to-date information, for free. Secondly, we knew there needed to be a rating system for venues. Touring bands often get trampled by unscrupulous venues and bookers, and one of our main goals was to provide a system that would keep people honest, and protect bands from the more notorious enclaves.

The pleasant surprise was that IOTM ended up benefitting the venues as much as the bands. While bands are able to fill last minute slots in their schedule through updates posted through IOTM, the venues themselves are able to tap into our community of particularly dedicated, professionally-minded musicians to turn unexpected openings on their end into surprisingly successful evenings! Talk is talk, but the numbers cannot lie. What started off as a curious little website for touring bands has blossomed into a proactive community of approximately 25,000 members, to date.

"For us, there is absolutely no tour without Indie on the Move,” says Justin Stang of the Union, Washington band, Sideways Reign. “I can't imagine a world before this essential tool and outstanding resource existed.”

"I can't believe I used to rely on suggestions from friends and Google searches to find venues in other towns,” says Josh Myers of Sad Red (Brooklyn, NY). “[Indie on the Move is] the patron saint of touring bands.”

This positive response has not gone unappreciated on our end, and after three years of adaptation and implementation, I think you will agree that we have just upped the ante… again. This week, we proudly launched an entirely new site. If you have not taken a walk around, or have not logged into your account recently, believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

First and foremost, a customizable homepage has been added, allowing you to tailor that front line of information to suit your needs. “The updates were becoming so varied, and related to so many different facets of the site. The old scrolling marquee at the top of the homepage took too long to reveal the relevant information,” explains President of Indie on the Move, Kyle Weber.

Also new to the arsenal is a more open system to receive notifications, follow, and contribute show and band opportunities on a local and national levels. “We’ve always used the geotargeted show availability eBlast to inform bands about open dates venues have,” says Weber. “But, with the way the system was set up, the site administrators had to personally post each availability, and our time is limited. When we decided to make that feature available to exclusive bookers, we saw such a great response, from the venues being pleased, and from the bands being able to apply for free. We felt if we opened the ‘post and respond’ option to all sides there will be more dates, more bands, more opportunities. And, on our end, it won’t demand any more administrative hours.”

Among the most exciting additions to IOTM is the integration of media and cross-platform promotion between venues and performers. “You shouldn’t have to use IOTM to find a band and then go hunting through a bunch of different sites to find out more about them,” says Weber. Hence, the ability to now turn your IOTM page into a multimedia hub. Upload up to 25 photos, 5 of your best songs, and embed Vimeo and YouTube video all within a crisp new page design. Venues or media outlets need an EPK? Your IOTM profile URL should suffice!

Furthermore, there is now a tagging feature that enables users to see photos and videos of the venues themselves. “You can only learn so much about a venue before you need to actually see the place,” Weber explains. “We created a tagging feature that posts videos and photos on the venue page as well as the page from the user who uploaded the media and tagged it for that venue.”

Also included in the site-wide overhaul is the ability for artists to now invite their fans and friends to the IOTM community, post comments, customize their homepages to follow and rate their favorite venues, and even invite musicians to play their own events.

And doesn’t the new design look gorgeous!

So, take some time to create a profile if you are new to our community, or update your existing one(s) with photos, videos, shows, and availabilities if you are already basking in the wonder and merriment of IOTM! Take some time to let us know what you think, and thank you for your continued support!