More than 300 bands have already signed up and uploaded their music. Fans can also discove new artists through Boom.fm Player recommendations.
Boom.fm was created because of a need for services like Spotify and Pandora that are not available in South Africa. At first the site was mostly interested in the development of local music - but then realised that "local" means different things to different people - and digital changes everything. Artists need international platforms.
The focus is on helping fans to discover music that they may not have heard before on radio or TV, and to help up-and-coming local bands build an audience (any artist, big or small, from any country, can sign up).
In addition to providing a streaming music portal, Boom.fm also has a small production team that attends festivals, local gigs and interviews bands for behind-the-scenes videos. The team also profiles certain local bands on the site and tries to help out local artists where it can.
A short documentary has been made using RAMfest (the first SA festival on tour) as an example. Industry experts - journalists, brand managers, label owners, fans, and obviously bands themselves were interviewed. A Black Handed Kites music video, with Giant Films, is due to be released in April.
Boom.fm is still in beta phase. At the moment it provides an online streaming service that plays uninterrupted music based on the users' preferences. Soon, though, users will be able to purchase tracks directly from the site and the site will be socially integrated - meaning that users will be able to discover more music through other users. Users will also be able to create playlists and share them with their friends.
Boom.fm is part of World of Avatar.
