Pioneer today announced KUVO, a new entertainment service and smartphone application developed to link club fans, DJs, and clubs (venues) from around the world with each other through music, technology, and social media. Pioneer has created its own network to enable Pioneer’s DJ equipment to transmit DJ, club, and music information, as well as other customized data via a proprietary Internet server, all accessible within the KUVO app. The initial launch of KUVO utilizes the network to stream information from KUVO DJs performing in KUVO-equipped clubs and venues,.

"With the KUVO service and app, as a club fan you’ll be able to see who’s playing at your favorite club, follow a DJ you like, see where they’re performing, and even check out the name of the track they’re currently playing. You can do this at any time, day or night, even with DJs and venues half-way across the world," said David Arevalo, director of marketing, Professional Sound and Visual Division for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "KUVO gives DJs and clubs a direct connection to club fans with the ability to customize and send messages to club-goers."

KUVO starts with the smartphone app, available free of charge in the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android devices, or the KUVO website, both offering four key social elements.

DJ Track Information – At any time, club fans can acquire up-to-date information on the latest DJs and the tracks they are playing from KUVO-equipped clubs.

Now Playing – Music tracks made "public" by KUVO DJs are displayed in real time on the app as they perform at a KUVO-equipped club. DJs can also upload personal messages within the tracks they play for their fans to see. Clubs can also create and post their own messages to share.

Playlist – Users can check or search for tracks played by their favorite DJs, or tracks they previously played. Comments can also be added to playlists or sent directly to the DJs, giving club fans a direct connection to DJs.

Discover – The service provides updates on the latest trends in clubs, DJs or tracks from around the world. It shows what is "trending" based on the number of "Likes" for tracks or playlists played at clubs, or "Most Liked" based on "Like" or "Follower" numbers.

Purchase Music – Users can flick through and preview the music tracks and purchase the music through iTunes or Juno.

Photo Album – Photos taken using the KUVO app are automatically tagged with the venue, track currently playing, DJ performing, and a time stamp. The app offers users the option to save the photo to their device or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Club Map – The service displays a map of KUVO clubs around the world. The map mode displays tracks being played in each region and DJ information in real time, allowing club fans to easily find venues that suit their tastes and music styles. Tracks can be sampled from the club information playlist, and users can check up on event information released by the venue.

DJs can join KUVO for free by logging onto http://djclubnetwork.com/about/ and registering to become a KUVO DJ. DJs will also need to use Pioneer’s rekordbox software to organize their music and can allow tracks to be "public" to enable the KUVO system to share the music information and their customized message(s). Once registered, DJs can create profiles and/or messages for their own registered pages, and set up links to their homepages or social media pages. Their messages and profiles can be easily shared, harnessing KUVO’s capability as a promotional tool to reach club fans around the world.

Club owners can request their venues to become a KUVO-enabled by contacting Pioneer DJ. At no charge, Pioneer DJ will supply and install in the club the NXS-GW network gateway, which provides the connection between Pioneer gear and the KUVO Internet server. Once installed, club owners can register and create their own profiles. Like DJs, KUVO clubs can post customized messages for club-goers.