Why We Started a New Music App

The Power of Human Connection

Nothing replaces the energy of a shared human experience. Our most profound memories—the birth of a child, a first kiss, a wedding, exploring a new city, or losing yourself in a crowd at a live concert—happen when we are truly present with others.

Yet, the modern digital landscape often pushes us toward isolation. We are more plugged in than ever, but often feel disconnected. It’s no wonder why:

• We scroll social media instead of socializing in person.
• We order delivery instead of dining out.
• We stream movies alone instead of hitting the local theater.
• We substitute real-world exploration with VR headsets.

Screen fatigue is real, and it’s leaving us more polarized and isolated and there is tons of data showing the negative effects. Can we use technology to bridge that gap and get back to real, human connection? We believe we can.

Our Philosophy

At Ckord, we believe technology should be a catalyst for real-world experiences, not a replacement for them. We want to let tech handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on being human.

While it’s easy to treat our devices like people—talking to our smart speakers or calling a CPU a "brain"—humans and computers are fundamentally different. Computers excel at analyzing vast amounts of data in fractions of a second without breaking a sweat. Humans, on the other hand, are exceptional at feeling, creating art, empathizing, and innovating.

Technology works best when it complements us by doing the things we aren't wired to do. After all, would you rather spend hours analyzing spreadsheets and search results, or just grab a drink and catch a great show with a friend?

The Story Behind Ckord

So, how does this philosophy lead to a live music app?

We know, we know. The irony is not lost on us: we built an app to get you to stop using apps. It’s a bit like buying a smartphone to cure your screen addiction, or watching an entire Netflix docuseries about why you shouldn't watch so much TV.

But hear us out. While most modern tech is designed to trap you in an infinite doom-scroll, we built Ckord to be an escape hatch. We want to use just enough smart technology to kick you off your device and push you out the door into a local venue with actual, three-dimensional humans.

Like most people, we love live music, but we were frustrated by how hard it was to find emerging local artists. Sure, it's incredibly easy to find out where major stadium acts are playing, but we know the local musicians playing right in your neighborhood are just as talented—they just haven't been discovered yet.

Driven by a passion for music, a mission to spotlight local talent, and a desire to foster real-life connection, Ckord was born in April 2023 in NYC.

According to research by the United Talent Agency (UTA), 57% of people rank concerts and music festivals among their favorite life memories. Our goal is to make it effortless to discover incredible new artists in your area, so you can go out and make those lasting memories yourself. We believe in the power of live music so deeply that our entire platform's success is tied to it: Ckord only wins when fans find unforgettable experiences and artists grow their audience.

What’s Next

While Ckord is available everywhere, the majority of our currently featured artists and events are rooted in the NYC area, our home base. We are rapidly expanding to new cities and are rolling out fresh features on a monthly basis.

We’re actively partnering with artists and venues to bring you exclusive shows and content over the coming months. (If you are an artist or a venue booking live music, please reach out to us—we’re always looking for new partnerships!)

We hope you’ll join the Ckord community, step out into your city, and discover the soundtrack to your next great memory.

P.S. most people pronounce it ‘Cee-kord’ but it’s actually pronounced ‘Chord’. We tried to register Chord but it was taken and would’ve been $12k+ to get it so we changed one letter 😬.