Hey everyone. My studio, Renaissance Recordings, will be at Fest as a sponsor, and also to give out tons of free shit, but I've really been wanting to gauge the interest levels for an idea I've been working with....

The brainchild I've been toying with lately is trying to get an all new punk rock directory/database/social network going, exclusively for the punk scene. BYOFL was a great idea and resource, but it's never updated, and nobody ever really uses it anymore. Also, you can book tours, promote shows, and make fans and friends on all the social networks and band websites out there, but they seem to come and go out of style, and I'm really into the idea of the punk community having it's own lexicon of bands, promoters, punk houses, labels, record stores, venues, co-ops, and people that can put on shows, help bands with a place to stay on the road, and be proactive about the spirit of the community in general. Initially, I'm planning on just having my group of friends/studio team hanging out around the Holiday Inn and Flea Market with participation forms for people to fill out with their contact info, location, and what they can help out with, and turning it into a spreadsheet that will be free for download from my website, but I'm already in talks with a web designer about taking it a step further into a whole interactive directory/social network.

Of course I'm totally up for feedback on my ideas and curious to see how much interest there is in such a thing. I figure Fest would be the best place to start since we could not only spark this for North America, but the world.

And of course, I'm doing this all independently.

Comments, questions, diatribes, encouragements?

this sounds like an awesome idea.
I'm sure no-one needs to tell you its not in the technology but the people who use it. the more that use it the more other will as well...

personally, i would love for it to have reminders/notifications for when an artist on the site is playing within a certain userdefined radius. smartphone enabled or app that ties in... having a way to see who, when, where, how etc a band is playing/touring with and be able to connect others in an area is something that bands starting out or are building a fan base could use... facebook sucks at this...

I can't wait to see this!

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the feedback.

I think this is a great idea. Would be SO helpful to bands booking tours.

If anyone has ideas on items I should put on the survey/submission form, I'm all ears.