Music lovers may only be one click away from finding their new favourite artist thanks to a fresh app launched by a Winchester resident.

Edward Massey started work on The NOW App around 18 months before the pandemic hit, but saw his progress quickly stunted by Covid enforced lockdowns curtailing live performances.

However, with the country and the live music scene slowly healing from the lasting effects of coronavirus, he’s now looking to get the app back on track.

He said: “I started the app around 18-months before Covid reared its head in March 2020 as a platform to promote everything local.

"I naturally hit a brick wall as we all locked down, so I’m now starting to promote the app myself with things getting back to a ‘new normal’.

“I live in Winchester and have always enjoyed local live music, so I thought, ‘what if there was an app that showed me what bands were playing near me at the present time’.

“So, this is where The NOW App started.

“The idea is that a band could rock up in a pub, post that they’re playing for the next two hours, and I would be able to find them using the app.

“Usually when looking for live music I would be offered Eastleigh, Southampton and Basingstoke, all of which were generally unreachable for me.”

Mr Massey said he also has goals of extending the app beyond the music scene, insisting it could be used by other independent businesses, too.

“When I sat down and looked at it properly, I thought it should really be a platform to promote everything local," he said.

“A 2pm hair cancellation could be posted for a discounted price, end of season stock could be cleared, art exhibitions, band gigs, sports events which are all happening live could be promoted.

“It could enable a local audience and community to take advantage of a range of services and benefit businesses as well.

“Everything posted would be in real time, relevant and reachable, the business owners and artists would be in complete control.

“The key point is that the user goes to the event, business, or gig, increasing footfall and audience.”

Mr Massey says he’s had interest in the app - which is available on the Apple store and Play Store - from as far as Australia, Hong Kong, Holland and the United States.

“There are improvements to be made, and it’s not meant to replace Google or Facebook, but it’s a simple marketing and advertising platform which gives local business a chance to run promotions on whichever scale they can cope with, whether it’s one item or a hundred,” he said.