Stagent's launch is just around the corner. To get you ready for the exciting future ahead, we've done an interview with the founder of Stagent so that you can get to know all about the platform!
Stagent is almost ready to launch! To start off, how excited are you to get Stagent out there? "Very excited! It’s exciting to see ideas I’ve had for a long time come alive. We started development in may 2019, almost one year later we have a pretty decent platform with many features already. But the feature roadmap is also growing day by day. I can’t wait to see people start using Stagent."
What’s the story behind Stagent? How did you get started, and why did you decide to create it? "Back in 2015, I was running an agency together with someone called VOID. We handled a few bookings per month for local DJs. At first, we did everything with spreadsheets but soon figured we needed something different. Then BeatSwitch came in. We're lucky that we won a giveaway and received a 1-year free BeatSwitch license. BeatSwitch lacked some features but admittedly was an excellent solution for us. BeatSwitch then contacted us to tell us they're pulling the plug and moving forward with their festival management software, which is currently the leading program in that field. We had to find another solution and started using Gigwell. We weren't happy with Gigwell, but it did its job. That's when the idea for Stagent started to grow."
Who is Stagent for? "Stagent is for everybody who works with music and touring. If you're an artist, we have a version for you that's nice and simple and lets you easily handle your bookings. If you work for an artist or have a team of artists, then we have a specially tailored agency version of Stagent for you too."
What does the company stand for? "We stand for excellence and professionalism. The music industry can be a chaotic place, and we want to bring some consistent quality to those that have to work with stressful touring schedules."
Please describe what the platform is like, and explain what the bookings process looks like "The platform is quite easy to navigate - everything is accessible and straightforward. You can enter bookings through the bookings page, and handle the entire booking there. Yes, this includes the contract and payment too! You add your bookings to your itinerary with travel information, which gets updated in real-time as you're on the go. You can always look back at your old bookings and see how much you've earned in one place too."
What separates Stagent from other forms of artist management software? "Stagent has a modern design and is less cluttered than other alternatives. We want to bring the technical excellence we're used to seeing in other industries to the music world."
Can you explain some everyday scenarios where you see Stagent being useful? "One particular scenario that comes to mind is on the road. Flights and travel schedules often get messed up due to things out of your control. The last thing you want to do is to be stuck at the airport trying to figure out how your flight has been rerouted. Stagent takes this weight off of your back by automatically updating your travel itineraries in real-time. If there's a delay or change, you'll be sure to be the first to know."
How do you see Stagent evolving in the future? "First on the list is the Stagent app. There's already a mobile website, but the app is the next step in making Stagent your go-to for artist management needs. We have a lot of fresh partnerships with companies in the festival sector, so we're very excited about the opportunities ahead!"
What do you think the future has in store for the music business? How will it change over time, and how does Stagent fit into that picture? "The music business is always changing, so this is a hard question. One thing we know for sure is that artists need to keep their business organized and to do that, products like Stagent need to exist. So, we aim to be a leader in innovation in the market and to face challenges head-on and adapt as needed."
Thanks, Mischa! Exciting times are ahead. We're looking forward the the future of the platform.
