The latest entry in the video app game, Hang w/ lets users broadcast what they’re doing through their smartphone’s camera to whomever cares to watch, in an effort to bring fans closer to their favorite artists and other celebrities. The difference between Hang w/ and Vine? Hang w/ presents user-created content in real time. “Most video-sharing competitors are archived video that is first shot and then shared later,” says Andrew Maltin, CEO of MEDL, the company that brought Hang w/ into fruition by initially investing in its development. “This is live, raw and real, and you can live chat with the person sharing.” Hang w/ was created by MEDL Mobile, a publicly traded app-development company founded in 2009 that has launched more than 300 mobile apps for the iOS and Android platforms. With $1 million invested in the project on behalf of MEDL and another $2 million from a round of seed funding led by Mishaal Alireza, co-founder of multinational holding company Alireza, Hang w/ launched in April and has already racked up more than a half-million downloads. Music artists who have signed up include Chief Keef, Soulja Boy, Timbaland, Paula Abdul and 50 Cent. “[Timbaland] did a hangout with Justin Timberlake in the studio, and he’s getting involved with many of the new personalities rising to prominence on the platform,” Maltin says. The app functions like a social network in that users can follow popular members or browse whomever happens to be broadcasting at the moment. Once a broadcast ends, the clip is saved as a video that the user can share through one of the user’s six featured video spots. Hang w/ monetizes its platform by running ads that air before and after the user begins a broadcast. MEDL shares revenue with content creators, thereby creating an incentive for users to engage with each other and build a following and differentiating the app since most aren’t able to directly monetize their base of followers. Across a social landscape where many artists have their social teams monitoring their platforms, Hang w/ provides a refreshing authenticity to online interactions.
