COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — ItsMyScene is a community-driven website where local musicians, venues and fans can find and list shows in Tallahassee and beyond.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
A Tallahassee native is taking on the loss of local music venues with a new tool to help musicians and fans find each other.
Jacob Stanford launched ItsMyScene, a community-driven website putting local bands, venues, and shows in one place.
Stanford first tried the idea in the early 2000s with TallahasseeShows.com. More than two decades later, he's bringing it back with new technology and a bigger vision.
Stanford said:
"There's so many people that come through this town. There's FSU, FAMU, not to mention, you know, the legislature here. And there's so many people come through this town that a lot of them are not gonna know what's here. And let's show them what's here. Let's show them what's available so that it'll be a really cool place for local music."
The site also aims to connect bands and venues directly with each other.
Stanford said:
"It can create a place to say, here's venues looking for bands. Here are bands looking for venues. Put them together. You know, it'll allow people to have a lot of community-driven pieces to it, but I wanna have a special focus on local music."
That connection comes as Tallahassee's music scene loses stages. Last November, I showed you The Sound Bar, preparing to close — one of several local venues to shut its doors.
Tallahassee and Orlando musician Kyle Raker said smaller stages are often where artists first build an audience.
Raker said:
"When you're starting out, you don't get to play at a 1,500-capacity venue. You're gonna be looking for a place that's a little bit smaller. Some of the smaller places may not have a site of their own, so this kind of allows those smaller venues to share their events and reach out to the community and be found by the community."
ItsMyScene lets the community add bands, venues, and shows themselves.
Raker said:
"Several local music venues in Tallahassee have closed over the last several years, and that's an issue I see in other cities in Florida, around the country. A lot of small venues are closing, so take advantage of resources like this. Look for shows, find shows proactively and get out to them and support it, because if you don't support it, it's not gonna stick around."
Stanford hopes ItsMyScene eventually connects local music communities around the world, but the first scene he's trying to grow is the one at home.
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