Mobile Roadie extends platform to Android

Startup wants to make it easy for artists to reach their fans on their mobile devices

Mobile Roadie, announced on Tuesday that its platform which enables pretty much anyone to have their own app, now supports Google Android.  

In case you're not all that familiar with the startup, it's solving an interesting problem in the space of the mobile Web.  As we all know, the iPhone straight up sucks when it comes to browsing the Internet.  The majority of the Web isn't optimized to be viewed on a mobile device and at the same time, the phone doesn't even support Flash.  So what's the work around?  Build an application.  But what if you're not a programmer?  Mobile Roadie has a solution.

The startup has built a business where you pretty much pay a fee of $499 to access its platform, and then update it for $29/month.  The platform lets you upload all sorts of media, like photos, audio files, videos, etc.  Mobile Roadie said its apps can power additional revenue streams through the sale of music, video, tickets and merchandising.

Basically, it's marketed mainly towards anybody who has a fan base.  So artists, writers, bloggers, etc.  But what makes the platform more appealing is it integrates with all the major online media sites like YouTube, Flickr, Twitpic, Ustream, Twitter, Facebook, and general RSS feeds, just naming a few.  

Mobile Roadie said it has powered apps for several world-renowned artists including Madonna, Dolly Parton, and Ashton Kutcher.  

Today's update is all about Android though.  Originally, the platform was built only for the iPhone, but with the rise of phones like the Droid and the Nexus One, any company like Mobile Roadie would be smart enough to offer its services on other devices.  What's good about the update is, say you want to get an app available in the Android market, you can manage both your iPhone and Android apps simultaneously.  
 
You're definitely going to have to shell out some money using Mobile Roadie, but it's worth it if you don't have any programming knowledge or just want to get a media application up and running in pretty much no time.