Thursday, 5 pm in La Plata. What time is that on your clock?

The momentAny Thursday, at ten to five

It is Thursday and it is ten to five in the afternoon in La Plata. On any live show those minutes are nervous ones: microphones are tested, the running order is checked once more and someone looks at the clock for the third time.

On the other side of the screen something similar happens. Someone saw a clip of the show last week, liked it and was left with a question: was it today? At what time? And what time is that here?

Un Poco de Rock is a streaming show about rock made in La Plata, Argentina. Its website introduces it in one line: “Rock culture that deserves to be told”. And it explains it plainly: “Every Thursday we turn the volume up from Streaming 1882, in La Plata: two hours of live music, talk, guests and plenty of attitude”.

The problemWhat happens on a Thursday does not happen again

The website says it with a line that is both a promise and a warning: “What happens on a Thursday does not happen again. Either you live it, or someone tells you about it.” That is the best thing about a live show, and also its weak spot. If you miss it, you miss it.

The first obstacle is the clock. The show runs from 5 to 7 pm, Argentina time. For someone in La Plata that is easy. For a relative who moved to Madrid, a fan in Mexico or a musician on tour in Europe, “five in the afternoon” is a different hour, and you have to do the maths. With clocks changing in some countries, that maths goes wrong more often than you would think.

The second obstacle is the feed. The audience of a show like this lives on social networks: that is where they see the clip, the photo with the band, the guest announcement. But Monday’s announcement is buried by Thursday. And if the reminder depends on the algorithm showing it to that person on exactly that day, it depends on luck.

The third is quieter. Someone arriving for the first time does not know what the show is, who makes it or why Thursday afternoon is worth keeping free. A link with a list of buttons does not tell that story.

A live show does not compete with other shows. It competes with forgetting, every Thursday at five.

The solutionA site that counts the minutes and reminds you

unpocoderock.com opens with the show’s headline: “The week needs a bit of rock too.” Below it, the essentials in a single line: “4 hosts · 5 shows aired · live bands every Thursday”.

The first thing it solves is the clock. A countdown shows how long until the next live show and, next to the Argentina schedule, shows the time converted to the visitor’s own time zone. The screenshot for this article was taken from Europe, and the site said it without anyone doing the maths: “in your time: Thursday, 22:00”.

The second is the reminder. The “Avisame cada jueves” (“Remind me every Thursday”) button sets up the reminder on WhatsApp, the app almost everyone already checks every day. It is the person who asks to be reminded, with one tap.

And before Thursday comes round, the show is already playing. “Escuchá la cortina” (“Hear the theme”) plays the show’s theme tune, and “Ver en YouTube” takes you to watch the show on YouTube.

In the corner waits El Anfitrión, with a status that is already part of the show’s tone: “Backstage · here for you now”. It introduces itself like this: “I can tell you the story of the show, take you on a tour of the site or get you set for next Thursday. You choose”.

Three clear paths. Someone who does not know the show hears its story. Someone who wants to see what is on the site gets a guided tour. And someone already convinced sets up the reminder for next Thursday. The footer of the chat sums it up: “No forms. One tap and you’re done.” The host replies with texts approved by the show’s team: it does not improvise or make anything up.

What changesFrom this week’s clip to next Thursday

For the visitor, the effort changes. They do not have to work out time zones or remember to look for the announcement again. They see how long is left, in their own time, and with one tap they ask for the reminder.

For the show, where its audience lives changes. Social networks are still the shop window: the clip, the photo, the guest. But the bio link now leads to a home of its own, with the show’s name in the address, which explains what Un Poco de Rock is to newcomers and keeps the Thursday date for those who already follow it.

And for those who live far away, the difference is being able to be there. A show from La Plata can be followed from anywhere, at the right time on every clock.

There are no audience figures in this article, and we are not going to invent any. The site launched in October: what can be told today is what it does and why.

For your projectIf what you do happens on one day, at one time

If you run a live show, a concert series, a weekly class or anything that happens on one day at one time, the challenge is the same: getting people there on time. Un Poco de Rock chose the Impulso website, a custom one-page landing site with the FULL Host included. No templates, and the show’s name in the address.