Creating new, viable income streams for up-and-coming musicians

Connor Di Leo is a Tech Entrepreneur, founder of Zooniversal Ltd and inventor of several tech-based solutions. He works with passionate members of the music community to improve how the world sees and interacts with the city of Liverpool. You can find him in his studio “The Zooniverse”, a space he created for the artistic community within Liverpool to come together and work (and play) as one.

The Challenge

Up-and-coming musicians struggle to get enough money from their gigs to use it as their main source of income. Connor wanted to create a device, Tap Tap, that takes small payments at live music events and gigs. Set to a spend of 50p, the device can be tapped multiple times to make donations to the artist or band to help boost their income on gig nights. A proof of concept was needed to demonstrate the device was possible and for Connor to understand the steps involved in taking an idea from PoC to a fully working prototype. 

To better understand the unique challenges the Liverpool music scene faces, take a look at this video from Connor:

The project

To ensure the ideal was viable, there were several challenges we faced, The device needed to be able to answer the following questions:

  • How might payment flow work?
  • How does someone understand what they are paying for?
  • How does someone understand how much they are spending?

Then, we had to consider how the device could be delivered on a modest budget, be robustly engineered, be something that easily plugs into a laptop and be set up in moments for a demonstration.

To help tackle these challenges, we created a device with bespoke software that can read debit, credit card and contactless phone payments to simulate how multi-tap donation payments would work. We also created a 3D-printed case for the electronics to ensure the device can travel well for demonstrations and be long-lasting.

Services

  • Electronics
  • Firmware
  • Software
  • CAD
  • 3D Printing

The Testimonial

DefProc made creating my Proof of Concept easy and enjoyable. I understood the problem the sector faced but needed a creative, imaginative team with the skills to deliver my idea. They were invaluable to me bringing my idea to life and tackling a long-standing problem in the music community.

Connor Di Leo, Founder, Zooniversal