There was big news from the folks over at iLike this week about a new feature they offer allowing bands to create their own iPhone apps (some of iLike's services compete with ArtistData, but I still think iLike is cool).

Months before iLike added this feature, a company called MobileRoadie released the same thing. They didn't get nearly the same press for it, but they launched a very slick dashboard that enabled bands to make custom iPhone apps. The apps are more customizable than iLike's offering, and while I applaud both companies for creating great solutions for artist iPhone app creation, I just don't see it.

I have been an iPhone user since the device came out, and I value it more than my laptop. There really is an app for almost everything and I'm amazed weekly about how much more useful the device gradually becomes (example: this week I bought Buster, an arrival tracker for Chicago buses. I use it every day and it's the reason I'm dry right now). But there's also tens of thousands of apps which had little ongoing purpose. On my phone, I have ~60 apps but only really use about 10.

So here's my problem with iPhone Apps for bands: it feels to me like they will be clutter on my iPhone. I love music. I'm constantly checking out bands on the web. But if I were to download an app for every band I was interested in, my phone would be full of apps that I'd need to constantly be launching and checking. That's the whole appeal of sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and yes, iLike. The music fan only need to go to one place and gets updates on all their favorite bands. They don't need to visit 20 websites anymore, or in this case, launch 20 apps.

I'm sure apps for bands with a rabid fanbase will be used and appreciated, and I think there's a sexy appeal for any band to be able to say "we have our own iPhone app". But I think every band being able to create their own iPhone app is a bit much. My prediction is the vast majority of them will never really be used, unless there's some way to combine them all, which defeats the purpose.

But I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time). Regardless, check out both offerings from MobileRoadie and iLike. If customization is your goal, spend time with MobileRoadie. If cost is your consideration, iLike is your answer.