I bet you remember Flashbck, the service for piecing together all the clips and photos taken by you and your friends at any gig that you have attended. It was reviewed last Sunday on MusicKO, and now I am pleased to introduce you to its co-founder, Mark Williamson. Read on to learn how he describes the service, the impact it has had so far and what the future holds in store.

Mark Williamson

Full Name: Mark Williamson
Age: 27
Startup: Flashbck
Position: Co-Founder

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

Flashbck is a new site designed to help you re-live, share & explore live music experiences. Basically, you go to a gig take some photos/videos & then upload them to flashbck which is specifically designed for live music photo/video sharing –  so it does some cool stuff like pulls in the bands that were at a festival, the people you went with & where the gig was.

I had flashbck in my mind for a while, I just didn’t know exactly what it was. I go to a lot of gigs & festivals & wanted a way to keep track of them online. When I was a teenager I had a pin-board where I stuck up all of my ticket stubs/setlists and so on. Flashbck is the modern version of that.

The most distinctive feature is that we’re music focused. From our really cool slideshow to the Memory Bank – which is like a pin-board. It looks cool and it’s a great way to track your gig-history!

What was the original launch date?

Sometime in August! It’s a bit of a blur.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

We’re currently testing the site in a soft launch – anyone can check it out – but we’re planning wider promotional activity later in the year. As we’re in London the focus has mainly been here so far. Spreading the word is key for us, so anyone who feels like shouting about us, great! (you can find us @flashbcktweets & on facebook).

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We’re adding a lot of new stuff on a regular basis. We wanted to get flashbck out into the wild so our users could help us to understand whether we were heading in the right direction.

On the horizon? Video, integration with other sites & some unique features.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?

My music taste. The web and especially legal apps like Spotify are essentials for me now. I may not be buying albums, I never did spend a lot on CDs, but I’m spending a small fortune on going to see the bands I find on Spotify & on blogs.  

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided?

It’s far too early for me to be giving advice! Ask me again in a year.