MobileBackstage provides a branded, multi-platform fan club service that connects artists and fans via apps on iPhone and Java-enabled handsets. The platform is white‑label and has been used to create fan clubs for acts including Jessie J, Tinie Tempah, The Kooks, Devlin and Lykke Li, and it works with major labels such as Universal, EMI, Warner and Sony. In the past year the company says end users generated over 4 million interactions and 100 million page views on its platform. MobileBackstage is a spin‑out from the agency Steam Republic and is staffing up, appointing Johannes Milén as COO based in Helsinki. The company plans to use new capital for growth, product and platform development and to open new offices in San Francisco while continuing operations in New York, London and Helsinki. Financially, the startup closed a bridge round in April following a roughly €2 million round in 2010. Mobile Backstage is a branded social music service and mobile app developed by Steam Republic that enables artists and bands to engage directly with fans via fully customized apps. It was trialed by artists including Dizzee Rascal and You Me At Six and is set to officially launch next week. The product includes social features for fan interaction, a content management system for web and mobile, integration with Twitter and Facebook, analytics, iTunes integration, and GPS-based gig check-ins. In trials Steam Republic reported that 90% of users regularly posted or commented, yielding an interaction ratio of 1:46 versus the same artists’ Facebook pages (1:780) and MySpace profiles (1:20,874). Steam Republic’s revenue model charges a one-off setup/customization fee of around €1,000 plus a monthly fee to artists/labels, with additional revenue opportunities from iTunes track sales, concert tickets, and merchandise. Steam Republic says it recently raised a second round in the region of €2 million toward a €3–5 million target.

Total raised

$4M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

May 2012