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Free app points to live music around you

You're out with a couple of friends for after-work drinks and decide to check out some live music. Where to start?

A new app lets you see what's playing in your city, buy tickets on the spot, view the venue on a map and maybe score some exclusive goodies, too, such as free tickets or backstage passes.

This is the idea behind Thrillcall Live Music, a smartphone and tablet app based on the Thrillcall.com live music site.

The way it works is as follows: Open the app and tap on the Tonight's Music tab. Because your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is location-aware, it will show you what's playing in your area. You can scroll through all the artists and venues and tap to view it on a map, with optional directions on getting there. There's also a map view to see pushpins for all the live events in your city.

While only available in San Francisco at this time, the Thrillcall app really shines in its "flash" offerings. Simply tap the Exclusive icon and you may be presented with a bunch of deals to choose from, provided by Thrillcall, the artists or the venue. For example, there were five of these "flash" giveaways in the Bay area on the night of Feb. 16, including free tickets to a show, a round of complimentary drinks at a club, band merchandise and contests. Thrillcall says they'll be expanding these exclusive offers to other cities.

As for live music listings, most cities supported are in the U.S., from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., but Toronto was also listed for Canadian users.

While not mandatory to use the app, those logged into their Thrillcall account can then purchase tickets right then and there. Depending on the event, various ticket-purchasing services will be listed, such as Ticketmaster, Tickets.com and Ticketfly. If it's an exclusive deal you're buying, you'll make the payment through Thrillcall directly.

The final step — before picking up the tickets at the venue's will call — is the option to share the news about the event on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, right from within the app. You can also share those exclusive deals here, too. This video, below, gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Thrillcall says it has a shared revenue model on all promotions, exclusives and tickets. Additionally, Thrillcall licenses some of its content and data, plus it's ad-supported.

Available for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, live music lovers and spontaneous types should find Thrillcall a fun and free way to discover what's playing around you.

Here's the official video for Thrillcall: