SplatterTribe: So give us the lowdown on the All Access APP/A3 APP...

Ralph Sutton: OK sure, well, I don’t know if you know anything about me, but I have a radio show called 'The Tour Bus' that’s been on the air about 12 years. We’re on about 60 stations around the country from Maine out to California and primarily Rock based; 80’s Rock to New Rock. We do some 70’s too… And we do a lot of interviews and over the past, I would say, 5 years, every band that I’ve interviewed is telling me how crappy it is to be a musician these days.

It’s getting harder and harder to exist, as an artist. They can’t make money. Unless their touring, they don’t make money because nobody buys music anymore. So they end up touring more and more. And then, the more you tour, the lower you value yourself because you’re going out so much. So it becomes a never ending downward spiral.

I was talking to a few different guys and I just one day said, “You know, if it was me...”

I think everybody is still thinking like it the 1980’s still. You put out a CD and you tour. Then you put out a CD and you tour. And it’s just not the case anymore. You need to think outside the box. I look at these guys and they give out everything on Facebook, on Twitter and on YouTube for FREE and have absolutely no money.

They have hundreds of thousands of followers and don’t make a dime.

My light bulb idea was, when I was a kid, I would send 20 bucks a year away to be a member of the Kiss Army. I’d get a sticker in the mail. I’d get a newsletter in the mail and I felt like I was part of some secret society. That was like (being in) the inner sanctum of that band, that I loved. So I said, to a couple of guys that I knew, “Why not make a 21^st century version of a fan club?” Charge a monthly subscription and put out stuff there that you don’t put out anywhere else. And a few of my friends, that are in bands, said, “You know what Rob? If you build that, I’ll be your first client.”

(I said,) “Alright then, no problem.”

So I found some developers and I spent 6 months developing it and we just launched a couple of weeks ago with about 8 bands. We have about 20 or 30 coming out over the course of the next few weeks and so far, so good.

SplatterTribe: Can you explain what the app actually is?

Ralph Sutton: Sure.  It’s kind of confusing because we’re more of the technology. A3 All Access APP is the technology that’s powering the APP. For instance, Queensryche has an app and it’s called the Queensryche APP, but when we launch it, it will say Queensryche Powered by A3. In the same instance, everybody has probably heard of that game called ‘Angry Birds’. ‘Angry Birds’ is the game but it’s powered by a company called Zynga. They are the ones that own the company and made the game. So, in the same respect, Queensryche has an app, but their using our technology to use the app.

So, the app, and we’ll use Queensryche as an example, they all have it. Each guy in the band has it on their phone and it allows them to send audio, video, picture or text directly from their phone, to your phone. So, for instance, Scotty (Rockefield), the drummer, put up a video from his drum kit, just today. He’s talking to people in the fanclub saying, “Hey, what’s up? We finished the mix, just wanted to let you know it sounds great.” They’re gonna put samples up there. They put the track listing up there today. It’s a way to be one step closer to your favorite band.

SplatterTribe: There isn't any technology out there that already allows this to happen?

Ralph Sutton: Well, I mean, there is some things that are like this, Twitter or Facebook obviously. The difference is…

A.) this one, it costs a $1.99 a month to see the premium content. When you’re logged in, if you’re not a subscriber, all you see is a message that says, “this content is premium”.

Let’s say I’m Geoff Tate (vocalist for Queensryche) and I want to send something to A3 through their app. I can decide whether to make it public or private. If it’s public, anybody can see it. If you have the app, you don’t have to pay for the premium content and (you get) to see whatever they choose to be FREE stuff. That may be one or two things. That may be half the things. That’s up to the band.

So, I’m Geoff Tate and I’m putting up a song link and I’m gonna make it private now. So, what happens is, if you’re not a paid subscriber, you’re getting a message that says, “if you want to know what this is, you have to subscribe.”

And then, the second thing that it does is that when you’re sending that message, you can choose to also send it to Facebook or Twitter. When you do, what happens is Facebook and Twitter just get a message that says, “Geoff Tate just put up a video on the Queensryche APP," if you want to know what that is, you have to subscribe. So the more that they use their app, they are promoting it to their existing fans. It’s like a way to say, “look, you don’t have to be subscriber. There’s still gonna be stuff on Facebook. There’s still gonna be stuff on Twitter and on Queensryche.com, but if you want (to be) that one step closer to your favorite band, be it Bumblefoot from Guns N' Roses or the band Tantric.

We have a ton of bands coming out; and not just bands. We have some actors, some reality stars, even a chef. They’re putting out things that they’ll put it there first and then, maybe, make it public, down the road.

We’re also doing polls in the app. The good thing about that is…One of the bands, I’m dealing with, already decided their gonna do this. At the beginning of their set, they’re gonna tell everybody in the audience, “if you have the (A3) app on your phone, you can decide what our encore will be.” So only the fans that are in the club can have the voice and say, “I want this song as your encore song”.

To have that kind of direct influence on your favorite band, nobody has ever done that before.

SplatterTribe: How does it work as far as the artist that you are getting to use the APP?

Ralph Sutton: Well, right now, we’re doing it on an individual basis. You know, the Press Release went out and because of my Radio show, I know a lot of celebrities and I’ve been contacting people that I know and it’s been building that way. Eventually we might get to a point where people can create their own app online, but that’s far down the road.

Another thing I want to say is, I believe mobile is where it’s going. (During) the last two quarters Smart Phones have outsold computers. So people are checking their Facebook, checking their email and doing their basic surfing on their iPhones, Androids or Blackberrys. They’re not really going to their desktop anymore. Probably the closest thing they are doing is going to a tablet. That’s only going to get more and more true as the years go on. Unless you’re working, you’re not going to be setting at a traditional desktop environment anymore. That’s why I believe the app is (great)… It’s only mobile.

You can’t log in online to see it. The other reason for that it’s great is that it makes it harder for a fan to steal the stuff and share with people that aren’t already fan club members.

SplatterTribe: Anything else you want known about this?

Ralph Sutton: No, the website is AllAccessAPP.com but it’s really more of a minimal website because I really feel it’s up to each band (to let their fans know they use the app). The main thing I want people to start thinking about is a change in social media. It should not always be FREE. People (bands) need to make money, and there is nothing wrong with spending a couple of dollars a month to follow your favorite artist.

If you’ve ever joined a fan club for anything before, that’s what this is. This is a modern version of it. It’s a 21^st century fan club.

SplatterTribe: It seems like a good idea and I agree 100% that something has to be done or there won’t be any artists left. Everybody in the world wants to make money, but for some reason, people feel musicians shouldn't. Without the funds, artists become extinct.

Ralph Sutton: Right, if you like music than you should start thinking differently about how you support your favorite artist. That’s just the bottom line, and this is a way to say to whoever it is, “Hey, I like you guys. I want you guys to keep doing what you’re doing. So for me to shell 2 dollars a month, so that I can maybe have access to meet and greet passes or win some sort of cool prize or whatever, than I’m willing to do it because I love the music and I want you guys to continue doing what you’re doing."

SplatterTribe: Anything else you want to promote?

Ralph Sutton: No my radio show and that, that’s really the only things I do in my life…and if you could hook me up with one of your Girls of the Month on your website, that would be nice…

www.allaccessapp.com
www.tourbusradio.com