Friday, December 16, 2005

Welcome to the new TexasGigs.com

We're here for one reason-- to get more people to more shows

By Cindy Chaffin of Life Outside The Bubble

Updated 10:42 a.m., December 18, 2005

PEGASUS NEWS WORLD HEADQUARTERS — Welcome to my new digs! As you can see, TexasGigs.com has changed somewhat...well actually changed completely! After 3 1/2 years of running TexasGigs as my personal blog, I decided it was high time to take this baby to the next level. Actually, thanks to Pegasus News; TexasGigs has gone up several levels.

We're joining forces to turn coverage of the local music scene up to eleven.

I started TexasGigs.com after working for several years in the local and regional music scene.  During those years, I realized there was a need for more and better resources for musicians, artists and bands, as well as their respective fans.    But there's only so much one gal and a blog can accomplish.

Enter Pegasus News!

With the support of their staff and technology, I'm going to be able to cover even more shows and bands than before. And, since everything is in a database, it will be easier for you to find the shows you want to see.

Obviously, this site is a lot different from the blog. Kick back, look around, and let me know what you think. If you've got questions, or want to meet the rest of the crew, check out the About Us page.

Some things you'll want to be sure to check out:

I'm still blogging, and you'll find the blog and all the archives right here.

We've got the most complete database of local bands anywhere, with profiles on over 400 local acts, many with audio, some with video.

You can search the database of upcoming shows. Show listings provide you with links to the bands and venues, maps, ticket information, and a lot of the time will have audio of the bands playing. We can send you reminders of your favorite shows by email and by text message to your cell phone. You can even listen to a radio station of the bands playing in town this week.

Speaking of radio, we have dozens of streaming radio stations featuring local artists. You can listen by band, by genre, by popularity -- But it's not all automated. There are lovingly handcrafted playlists like my The Fine Line, which was a weekly feature on my blog. You can make your own playlists and listen to playlists by other TexasGigs users.

With all this automation, I'm hoping to have time to do even more podcasting. We now have three podcast shows: TexasGigs Podcast is my interviews with local musicians. Spotcast features Alan Cohen with quick and, um, insightful, non-musical questions for local musicians. TexasGigs Comes A-live features live shows that we've recorded around town.

Other voices have been added to the mix. You'll find news, reviews and features from great local writers, some of whom are also musicians.

As always, this is a conversation, not a speech. Everything on the site enables instant user comments.

I'm excited about this next verse in the ballad of TexasGigs -- I hope you'll enjoy the site and that it will help you get out and enjoy more live, local music.

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Comments

Mike Orren Staff

Thanks, Cindy. We're thrilled to have you with us.

Only thing I'd add is this:

Once you get the vibe of how we're helping Cindy cover the music scene -- this is exactly what we plan to do for everything from neighborhood news to politics to youth sports. We hope everyone will join us!

3 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

Hey everybody-- Just so I won't take up space on the homepage, let me give you an update on a few glitches you may find. Pretty minor, but we're aware of 'em.

1. Not a glitch, but a missing feature: The maps on venues and events will roll in later this week.

2. The few people who registered before Sunday can't yet edit their profiles. That's coming. Or you can always re-register. You also can't read other user's profiles yet. That should come in a couple days.

3. The "Bands playing soon" radio station doesn't work yet.

4. If your radio player stops, it means you've hit a bad track. Hit fast-forward once, and it should move to the next one. And if you don't mind, send us an email at bugs@pegasusnews.com to let us know which track is glitchy.

Let us know what else you find. bugs@pegasusnews.com

Thanks!

3 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )