You can now check a box that lets you receive an email when a band you've marked "favorite" has a new show added to the database...  Wahoo!  You can also set up a preference so that when you add favorite bands, that box is checked by default so you don't have to go do it manually later.

A really minor update, but one that I think shoulda been done a while back.  Now, the who's online page will tell you what band someone is in...  I think this will give new users a better feel for how much bands really utilize the site, and give band members more of an impetus to strike up conversation with people from other bands, talk about swapping gigs, etc...

I fixed another bug - band photos were not displaying properly when you clicked on them.  They are now.  Surprised nobody told me that one...

Next up is adding a page where you can configure your "favorites preferences" - you'll be able to choose whether or not you receive email notification when your favorite bands have new shows added, and you'll be able to enable/disable notification for each band, too..

Another new feature, discographies, has been added.  This is currently available to all bands, but I will likely make it a Premium feature.  Discography tracks can be linked to mp3s that have been uploaded to the band's profile.

Here is an example of a profile with a discography.  It isn't very full because I didn't have track times or lyrics to put in, but you get the idea...

I've also added RSS feeds for the blogs, and the ability to edit past blog entries.  More to come...

I've updated the show submission page to force users to enter a bit of extra information on a venue if we do not have it in our database.  The bare minimum required field is the zip code, as we need it for localization.

I've also added a really cool autocomplete script that helps avoid venue misspellings, but allows you to avoid using that gigantic select box which has grown cumbersome as we break 800+ venues.

Next step: Start working on the shows list syndication API.

Well, the premium account registration page is up and working, and premium accounts are here in modest form.  A few of the cool new features I've added may change a bit or go away for non-premium users so as to make it as worthwhile as possible to pay for a premium account.

I'm interested in hearing your feedback on what sorts of features you'd like to have if you're donating to openingbands, so please do let me know.

Alright, the last few weeks have brought a lot of feature enhancements.  Let's recap!

• Advertising is easier than ever - just submit an ad for approval, then charge it up via paypal to get it into rotation.
• Cosmetically overhauled shows list
• Nicer look and feel
• Less cluttered boxes
• Photos and mp3s!
• Premium membership features added for users and bands!
• Regular users get:
• Blog
• Photo Gallery
• Enhanced "my shows" calendar
• SMS concert reminders to your mobile phone (coming soon!)
• Optional email notification when your favorite bands add new shows
• Access to premium members only forum
• Bands get:
• Everything that regular users get for all band members
• Additional photos (20, instead of just 3) in their gallery
• Additional mp3s (5, instead of just 1) in their profile
• Buddylists - add friends from openingbands to your buddylist
• Coming soon: buddylist related goodies! right now it doesn't do much, but it will...
• Favorite Bands - add bands as your favorite - explore the favorite bands of your friends and discover new music!  Premium members can get email notification of new tour dates, SMS alerts to remind them of shows, etc!
• "My Shows" calendar - the my shows page has been enhanced to display an actual calendar and allow you to easily add new events and get email reminders so you don't forget to go to that great show coming up...
• Updated band profile pages with:
• Enhanced bio page and WYSIWYG editor for nicer design
• Enhanced upcoming/past shows page
• Tour date map
• Photo galleries
• MP3s
• Improved instant messenger - way less annoying refresh mechanism...
• Enhanced search capabilities - search for shows of certain genres, etc.
• Enhanced user profile pages -- oooo, nice tabs!
• View profile/bio, buddylist, calendar, blog and photos on a nice tabbed interface
• There's lots more coming soon, so keep the suggestions coming, and keep checking back here for more cool toys!