Thursday, February 23, 2017

Seven Artists with Their Own Non-Music App

On Wednesday, hardcore party rocker and motivational speaker Andrew W.K. released a new app that lets you create your own version of his infamous ‘I Get Wet’ album cover. The “Party Hard Bloody Nose” app is exactly what it sounds like: an app that gives you the opportunity to superimpose a bloody nose onto a picture of yourself. In addition to the mock display of bodily fluids, one can also add things like his signature white t-shirt or long, sweaty locks to their photo.

W.K. is the latest artist to get in on the app train. Many artists have released apps as a way to keep fans in the know about new music and tours. Heck, some artists have created entire apps devoted to promoting one particular album or song. But like W.K., there are also apps created by artists that are just meant to be fun.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top music outlet, was curious to find some of these interesting and irreverent apps from our favorite artists. From apps that let you create and share interesting and entertaining photos to games that give you a reason to spend hours on your phone, here are seven that caught our attention.


1.       Goldfrapp: In 2013, pop duo Goldfrapp released a photography app that combines two photos into one using a “double exposure’ technique. Cleverly titled “GoldfrApp: Tales Of Us,” photos can then be shared on whatever other photo apps you may be using. If you would rather play games while listening to the band’s music, they also have a pinball game featuring songs from ‘Head First.’

2.       T-Pain: Released way back in 2009, “I Am T-Pain” put the ability to auto-tune your voice in the palm of your hand. While voice modification apps have been around far longer than that, this one came out at the height of T-Pain’s career, when his popularity got everyone curious as to what they would sound like if they were a computer.

3.       Glass Animals: In conjunction with the video for “Season 2 Episode 3,” from their 2016 album ‘How To Be A Human Being,’ Glass Animals released a video game of the same name. The game is an 8-bit platformer in the style of 1980s arcade games where you guide your character through obstacles laid out in the song.

4.       OK GO: Never one to be out of the loop when it comes to technology, OK GO released a mobile party game in 2013. “Say The Same Thing” is a word association game where you and a friend say words with the ultimate goal of trying to come up with the same word.

5.       Shakira: Columbian superstar Shakira released a Bejeweled/Candy Crush-type game around 2015. “Love Rocks Shakira” has the player solving puzzles by moving around brightly-colored gems. With the popularity of these kinds of games among the public, it’s a safe choice for success. Shakira didn’t stop at gaming apps though. She also helped develop a multi-lingual parenting app called “Grow,” which gives tips on how to track your child’s “developmental milestones.”

6.       Snoop Dogg: Like the new Andrew W.K. app, Snoop Dogg’s “Snoopify” app lets you add custom stickers associated with the rapper to your photos and share them with your friends on social media. If you ever dreamed of hanging with the D-O-Double G, this is the next best thing to actually meeting him.

7.       Taylor Swift: If Taylor Swift seemed sweet and wholesome before, she just got even more so. The country singer-turned pop star released a greeting card app in 2013. If you are looking to send a friendly greeting to a friend, relative or coworker, you can send one of the digital cards on the app to them while listening to Swift belt out songs about breaking up.


It is not unusual in this age of technological advancement that bands or musicians would create apps to remain relevant and update fans. But these artists have created smartphone applications that entertain and connect people through photography and gaming that extend their names and brands beyond music. At this early point, it looks as if Andrew W.K.’s new app will do the same.

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Find music from all these artists and more at Long Island’s top new independent record shop, Vinyl Bay 777. With thousands of titles to choose from, we have something for every music lover. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and memorabilia at our Plainview location, or on our website at vinylbay777.com. Check back often, as we are adding new titles to our collection all the time.

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