Standing in the crowd surrounded by 50,000 cell phones recording the live performance on the stage, Dean Graziano had already begun planning his newest business adventure.
Dean Graziano, founder and CEO of the Lively app and former resident of Mercer County wanted to create a way for attendees of events like concerts or comedy shows, to be able to focus on the event itself instead of the screen of their phones or cameras.
The Lively App, a new smartphone application, allows individuals to relive a live event by their favorite artist almost immediately after leaving a venue, or without attending the event at all.
In old school “bootlegging,” fans would record concerts, dub tapes and sell them on the sly. In the more modern iteration, fans try to film events so they can watch them again or put them on YouTube.
The Lively app allows users to access their favorite artist’s music as well as live concert performances.
A new addition to the app also lets users access stand up comedian’s shows.
Graziano realized people were not enjoying the show by attempting to capture the music as well as pirating the content of the artist who, in return, would not get paid for these copies.
As he left the concert that night Lively had already become a new business plan for Graziano. “Condition of the app is very similar to my initial idea and has grown beyond my expectations along with the reaction to the app.”
He began to reach out to venues, labels and artists to make the app come to life and make the lose/lose situation a win for everyone.
The app became available to the public on May 4th, 2013. The app itself to download is free, and audio sells for $4.99 and videos sell for $9.99.
To ensure artists earn from each download the profit is split 70-30; 70% going to the artist and 30% to the company.
Graziano says “with each download a share for that artist appears on the consumers Facebook page giving exposure for that artist. This allows exposure to fans around the world.”
Before the Lively app’s official release the staff traveled to Times Square in New York City to introduce the app to individuals on the city streets. Keith Urban, an artist partnered with the app, was featured.
Members of the app gave a demonstration to New Yorkers while a video of Keith Urban played on the screens of Time’s Square while songs from his newest album played through the streets.
In an interview with The VOICE Graziano said he has partnered with numerous artists such as Keith Urban, the Posies, the Moglies and Jamestown Revival since its release and has been a part of 140 shows.
To date the Lively App has reached 12,000 downloads and Graziano says “it is growing daily.”
Graziano also discussed the independent musician partnership with Lively. Artists are able to record their shows and upload their music to the app on their own to make a profit. Instead of fans having to purchase a CD of a band at an event they are able to purchase it right on their phones.
Based on the reviews section on the Android App store as well as the iTunes app store and found that many people are enjoying this app. One of the first reviews of this app came from a user who says “I cannot believe someone didn’t think of this sooner,” and another, “Love it! Discovering new bands is so easy with Lively!”
“The app is constantly expanding.” Graziano informed me he plans to expand the app to recording conferences or meetings for users to access these after the event for further learning or connection.
Even though this app has only been active for a year it is still rapidly growing. With more artists and additions being added Graziano is confident the app will continue in this direction.
