Mike Einziger, guitarist for the GRAMMY-nominated band Incubus, has a new project up his sleeve — one that promises to connect fans with live music in an exciting and unexplored way.
The guitarist and his wife, Ann Marie Simpson, have partnered with Chrystine Villarreal, formerly of TechCrunch, to launch MIXhalo, a new app aimed at providing fans with a live streaming audio broadcast of concerts, sporting events, and conferences directly from the event's soundboard. With respect to live concerts, the app's goal is to give fans the opportunity to hear the show that same way the band is hearing it: the in-ear monitor mix.
The app's underlying technology was demonstrated for a small audience at last year's TechCrunch, after which Villarreal announced she would be departing in order to become the new president of MIXhalo, with Einziger serving as CEO and Simpson as COO. The app has generated some considerable buzz, and Dropbox creator Drew Houston has reportedly become involved as a first-round investor in the fledgling company. Other investors and closel -involved advisors include such names as Elon Musk and Pharrell Williams.
Speaking on the immediate roadmap for getting the technology to market, Einziger told Steve Baltin for Forbes, "We’re talking with one of the major concert promoters about a trial run at a prominent L.A. theater and that should be happening very soon, if all goes well. And I’m hoping we can start releasing it commercially in the fall, after we finish testing this summer."
