Could This Website Start To Fill The Enormous Void Left by the Phoenix?

With the shuttering of the Boston Phoenix—and its comprehensive music and events section—and Craigslist remaining a crapshoot cluttered with random connections for bands looking to find new members, Dan Adler-Golden, of Brighton, decided it was time to build a forum for aspiring artists to get together using social media.

In June 2011, Adler-Golden began working on his now-live website Grouptones.com, which allows musicians in the Boston area to post information about music projects and call-outs for new band mates. Using personal profiles to describe exactly what a musician is looking for, users can find on a detailed map those closest to them who may be looking to jam. In turn, the website helps users find shows, bands, and even groups to hire for upcoming parties and weddings.

“I really want to make it easier for people to get together and form bands and put on a show,” Adler-Golden said. “The ultimate goal is to get people playing more music.”

Since its launch in October, more than 500 people have signed up for Grouptones.com in order to find gigs, shows, and musicians in New England. Adler-Golden said the site has also attracted some international attention, bringing in more than 2,000 members from around the world. Plus, it’s piqued the interest of some famous artists.

“It’s not often that you see something well designed [that] has a coolness factor and functionality that can actually help musicians,” said Alan Evans, a member of the group Soulive.

Adler-Golden said the concept for the site was born from frustration with the limited resources available online when trying to meet new people and find local shows.

“I couldn’t synch up with people easily,” he said, adding that as a cello player, it was difficult to make long trips with his bulky instrument while riding the MBTA’s buses around Massachusetts.

To ease the frustration, a centerpiece of Grouptones.com is the capability for artists to easily pinpoint musicians in the immediate area—so that walking to meet becomes a viable option.

“With FNX and the Boston Phoenix disappearing, it would be good to return to local community cultivation. I want to take the music scene and put it on the map,” he said.

Adler-Golden is working with former Boston Phoenix employees to discuss where they pull show listings from so he can integrate them into the system and make it accessible to concert-goers.

“Boston is a really great city and we have so much going on musically. I hope more people sign up so there are more options for musicians,” he said.