Shinobi Ninja Talks Music and iPhone Apps
New Roads
With musicians in every direction you look, music marketing in 2010 has become a very high-traffic environment for musicians to discover new and dry ground to get them out of the muck. Shinobi Ninja have found dry ground and joined the touch-screen community as a means of marketing with their new iPhone Application feature. Check out this interview for more details behind their enthusiasm for their new product as it is answered in a very Jay and Silent Bob manner!
Shinobi Ninja Interview
Zach: A very post-modern means of creativity is by a person or a group of people bouncing hypothetical ideas off of each other and thinking about what-if-this or what-if-that. How would you describe Shinobi Ninja’s creative process behind your new iPhone Application?
Shinobi Ninja (SN): WELL IT WENT DOWN LIKE THIS. TERMINATOR DAVE AND OUR MANAGER STEVE WERE IN SXSW AND CAME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A IPHONE VIDEO GAME APP. OUR BAND IS NAMED AFTER AN OLD SCHOOL VIDEO GAME SO THE VISION WAS SOMEWHAT SET BEFORE THEM.
Zach: Does anyone in the group wish that a band they liked had an iPhone App? Do you think they would buy and use it? Could this may have been one of the forms of inspiration?
SN: IF PEARL JAM HAD AN APP BACK IN THE DAZE THERES NO DOUBT WE WOULD HAVE USED IT. ACTUALLY REMEMBER AEROSMITH HAD THAT VIDEO GAME WHICH WAS PRETTY DECENT. DECENT ENOUGH TO GET MY GRANDFATHER TO BUY IT FOR ME…. OHHHH PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE!!!
Zach: As I’m sure most of us don’t know how a band would go about making an iPhone App for themselves, could you elaborate a bit on what goes on behind-the-scenes for such an idea to make it to the big (touch) screen?
SN: ALOT OF HARD WORK. ALOT OF TIMING AND SCHEDULING AND PEOPLE SKILLS. BEING NICE TO EVERYONE HELPS NOT ONLY YOURSELF….. BUT EVERYONE.
Zach: Today, a lot of the screen-touching generation and music culture is looking for the upper hand on how they can get more music and entertainment based on how convenient it is for them. What could be said about your new iPhone feature that would persuade iPhone junkies to spend a pretty penny on your Application?
SN: IT PUTS THE MUSIC…. THE MEMBERS OR CHARACTERS OF THE BAND…. MUSIC VIDEOS…. MP3S….. PICTURES… U NAME IT…. ALL IN THE PALM OF THE PERSONS HAND. AND FOR FREE….. IF THEY COME TO A SHOW…. THE GAME UNLOCKS ITSELF AND ALL ITS CONTENT…. OR THEY CAN DROP THE 2.99 AND GET IT OFF THE BAT… LIKE AN ALBUM…. ONLY CHEAPER
Zach: Has Shinobi Ninja used resourceful marketing techniques such as the iPhone App for any other kinds of promotion? And does this open up any idea for future marketing?
SN: THE GAME USES THE GPS FUNCTION TO SEE WHERE THE PERSON IS… IF THIS PERSON IS AT OUR SHOW… BAM…. IT UNLOCKS… THATS PRETTY COOL. THE FUTURE IS BOUNDLESS AND ENDLESS AND WE ARE LEARNING TO CONTROL THE 4TH DIMENSION…. POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
Zach: Tell us about what we can expect from you guys coming up? New music , releases, tours, etc and where people can go to check you out…
SN: WE ABOUT TO DROP OUR DEBUT ALBUM. A REAL CLASSIC ALBUM. 2 YEARS IN THE MAKING. WEVE PLAYED PROLLY AROUND 100 SHOWS AND WILL BE GOING TO SXSW FOR OUR FIRST BIG TOUR IN MARCH. 2010 IS OUR YEAR. THE YEAR OF THE NINJA!
For more on the Shinobi Ninja iPhone application, check out our post from last week.
-Zach Frimmel (follow on Twitter)
