Overview

sourced.fm’s aim was to create a platform that connected music makers and enthusiasts through the power of conversation. It was a scrappy little start-up that lived from 2013 to about 2016, during which our team had a lot of fun and learned innumerable lessons about new ventures.

Web features

The site was a completely custom build championed by founder/full-stack dev Brandon Thorn. It went through many iterations, but some highlights of the functionality included:

• Index and categorization system for artists and their products
• Unique forum system complete with bots that had their own personalities (used to help welcome new users and provide help, humour and content)
• Userbase: people had to login to access many parts of the site
• URL modulated landing pages that changed their content to appeal to various target audiences

Other marketing

Apart from the site, myself and the team participated in many other activities, including:

• Recruitment and management of several interns
• Guerrilla marketing, in which we posted stickers with over two dozen different messages all over Toronto music venues
• Trip to Austin, TX for South by Southwest where I met and pitched several industry figures
• Social media, including an Instagram profile and presence on many tech communities
• Supporting local artists’ shows and developing partnerships with them
• Sponsored events throughout the Toronto area (e.g. open mike, concerts)
• Show coverage and photography
• Partnerships with other music sites and publications

Designer link (Joe Pelow)