New Year, New Gig

New Year, New Gig

A year ago, Steve Altman retired from Qualcomm as its vice chairman with the intent of “doing a bit of investing, joining some boards, and having some fun.” Instead, he and his son Andy formed a startup called GigTown, designed to “revolutionize the music industry by making live music more accessible than ever,” says Steve. The mobile app allows users to browse musicians, listen to featured songs, and view video footage of performances by available artists before submitting a booking request. Artists set their own hourly rates, which include setup/takedown, basic sound equipment, and tip, so users know exactly what they’ll pay with no additional fees. (www.gigtown.com)   MIA S. PARK