Concert Archives Version 17: Tons of New Features and Improvements

A redesigned app, major improvements to photos and videos, new ways to revisit your concert history, and updates across the website.

For quite a while now, we’ve been working on a huge new version of Concert Archives, and it’s finally here!

We’ve added a long list of new features across the website and the iOS and Android apps.

Our community on Patreon has been following along through sneak peeks at many of these features. Now we’re ready to give everyone else a tour of what’s new, with links along the way to separate posts about some of the biggest updates.

With Version 17, we wanted to make Concert Archives easier to use, make your archive feel more personal, help fans connect with each other, and build an even stronger foundation for the future.

Let’s go! 🙌

A More Modern Concert Archives

The Concert Archives app can do a lot, but sometimes that can make it feel overwhelming.

A Reddit user once said:

“I love Concert Archives! It kind of feels like work to use though.”

That comment really stuck with us.

Rather than remove features to simplify things, we rethought the app’s layouts, navigation, and overall experience. We’ve simplified common flows, moved less-used actions out of the way, and given photos more room to shine.

Along with the redesign, Dark Mode is now available across the app and website. It’s the default in the app, but you can still choose Light Mode or “Auto” if you prefer.

We share a lot more background and screenshots in these posts: App Design Refresh and Dark Mode.

Easier Photos and Videos

Some of the biggest improvements are focused on the photo and video experience.

If you’re like us and fall behind on uploading photos, you probably know this routine:

Notice that you forgot to upload photos from a concert. Open your photo library. Scroll for a while. Check a random photo’s date. Scroll some more. Check another. Scroll, scroll, scroll…

Now, when you tap to upload media in the app, we’ll start by showing you the photos and videos in your library that were taken on the date of that show.

Once you’ve selected everything, our new Upload Manager makes the actual upload much smoother. You can see the progress of each photo and video, cancel an upload, retry anything that fails, and keep browsing the app while uploads continue in the background.

We’ve also added bulk editing. You can select multiple photos or videos, then tag, caption, or edit them together. New filters make it easier to view just your own media or only media from other attendees.

See screenshots and read more in these posts: Concert Day Photos & Videos, Upload Manager, and Bulk Edit & Filter Photos & Videos.

A More Personal Archive

Concerts are shared experiences, so details like a concert’s venue, lineup, and setlist are facts that apply to every attendee.

Other parts of the experience are personal, like the bands you actually saw, your review, and your photos.

Previously, concert cover photos were treated as a “shared fact” and were the same for everyone. Now, every attendee can choose their own cover photo for a concert.

We’ve also made choosing one easier. You can select a photo already uploaded to the concert, upload one from your phone, or use the avatar of a band you saw.

Read more and see screenshots in this post: Cover Photo Improvements.

Enhanced Concert Anniversaries

Concert Anniversaries are one of our most beloved features, and this release gives them several major upgrades.

There’s now a dedicated Anniversaries page where you can see all of your anniversaries for the day or choose another date to explore. Notifications now include every anniversary you have that day instead of highlighting just one.

We’ve also added a personal time zone setting so you’re notified about the correct day’s anniversaries, no matter where you live.

And anniversaries aren’t just for individuals anymore. Bands and venues now have their own anniversary pages, making it easier to explore the shows that are part of their history too.

See more in this post: Concert Anniversary Upgrades.

See What You Have in Common

Live music brings people together, and sometimes you have more history in common than you realize.

When you visit another user’s profile, you can now see how many concerts, bands, venues, and locations you have in common. Tap any category to see the exact ones you share.

Read more in this post: See What You Have in Common.

Calendar App Integration

Now you can connect Concert Archives to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and other calendar apps.

Once connected, your past and upcoming concerts and group meetups will automatically appear on your calendar. Each event includes venue information and a link back to its page on Concert Archives.

Read more in this post: Calendar App Integration.

Building for the Long Term

We really value being financially self-sufficient. It allows us to be independent and do what we think is best for our community.

We’ve been around for almost 13 years, and we intend to keep improving Concert Archives for many years to come. Version 17 includes updates to help support that.

We’re bringing ads back to the mobile app for free Basic accounts and introducing optional Pro and Pro+ accounts across the app and website.

Don’t worry, Basic accounts can still add unlimited concerts, upload unlimited public photos and videos, and use Concert Archives without paying anything.

Basic accounts have limits on private photo and video storage, but more than 99% of current users are well below those limits.

Pro removes ads and includes a larger private media allowance, while Pro+ includes unlimited private photo and video storage.

We share more details and background in this post: Ads and Pro Accounts.

And Even More

Those are the biggest themes in Version 17, but they aren’t everything. The release also includes:

• Multiple links on user profiles
• A refreshed user profile screen in the app
• A revamped photo gallery in the app
• The ability to write text posts in the app’s news feed
• “Comfy” and “Compact” views in the app
• Year and month filters for concert lists
• Filters for viewing your public or private photos and videos
• Easier navigation between personal archives and the main pages

Even more in this post: Feature List.

“Synergy” 😂️

There are a lot of individual features in this release, but what we’re most excited about is how they work together.

The redesign makes the app smoother to use. Photos and videos are easier to add and manage. Your concert archive feels more personal. Anniversaries help you revisit the past, while shared experiences connect you to other people.

We hope all of this makes Concert Archives easier to use, more personal, and more enjoyable.

Thank you to our Patreon community for following along and sharing feedback, and to everyone who adds concerts, contributes photos and videos, fixes information, and tells friends about Concert Archives.

We’re super excited to have Version 17 in your hands. 🫶