The Brooklyn Museum did it (see my earlier blog), and now London Philharmonic Orchestra has launched an iPhone app. With over 1.5bn downloads of applications from Apple iTunes store, and the smart mobile fast becoming the ubiquitous device, launching an iPhone is a great strategy, particularly if you can work out what a premium pricing model might be (see my earlier blog on freemium here). The app is currently free, and facilitates the purchase of tickets, shares news and events and music releases, and lets users listen to music. It’s quick to download this application from the itunes app store directly to your device. From your iPhone or iPod touch, visit the App store and search for ‘London Philharmonic’.
Similarly, Edinburgh Festivals have released “Edinburgh Festivals Guide” – the only official iPhone application for the largest arts event in the world. The Guide comes complete with full listings for all 7 August festivals, and uses GPS to locate the nearest shows and venues, showing results on a map with simple directions straight to the venue door from exactly where you are. It sort results by location, start time or popularity rating. Additionally, users can read reviews of shows and write their own; call box office direct from the listings to book tickets; view photos of events and venues (and upload their own in the next version); and find out which tickets are on sale at The Fringe Half Price Hut. The iPhone app costs £1.79 – more than the 7 festivals’ free brochures, but less weighty and impactful on the environment. The iPhone app development is a successful innovation initiated by Festivals Edinburgh and the Fringe, delivered in partnership with HedOut. The risk and the reward have been shared by the partnership.
iFringe Free is the final iPhone app launched: this app presents the reviews of fringe shows from “independent critics” – not the people on the street nor the official reviews from the Scotsman or Guardian, but from the reviewers of the independent magazines and websites of the Fringe. The titling and the page for the app suggests a “full” version around the corner: expect further functionality and expect to pay for iFringeFull!