Rapper Wale Uses Turntable.fm As Opening Act On His “Ambition Tour”

Turntable.fm is already well established as a place to promote music via special appearances, but Wale has taken things to another level by using Turntable as an opening act for his "Ambition Tour".  It's a great idea that involves fans both at home and at the venue and uses the web to facilitate a live event. Turntable is even listed as the opening act in some show announcements.

I have to admit, seeing Turntable.fm listed as an act on a show announcement was something I never would have expected to see. But Wale is using Turntable as an opening act for his "Ambition" album tour in the sense that Turntable is the tech behind fans sharing opening dj responsibilities.

According to Angela Watercutter at Wired, fans can participate in the Ambition Tour Turntable room by logging in at home via the Web or at the venue via Turntable's iPhone app prior to the show.  The room is projected on a venue wall and fans participate as the opening act.

Wale had this to say:

"I just thought it would be something dope, you know? Social networking is really important…Anything that's social networking and music combined is definitely something that I want to be a part of, because I'm very hands-on with it."

Apparently he hasn't really checked it out at the show but he's heard that the feedback is good.  Honestly, that's not much of a backstory but, hey, it's a great idea!

Turns out that this is an official partnership with Turntable, the first with a performer for live events.  Of course, they've already been supporting Turntable gatherings in clubs and bars as part of their Turntable IRL (In Real Life) program.

It's always good to see music startups embrace their users and find ways to support musicians. Going beyond sponsoring live events to actually being part of the action is a really smart move on Turntable's part.

Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at Flux Research and blogs at All World Dance and This Business of Blogging. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.