Tulsa Man Launches Website To Stream Live Concerts

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

PRYOR, OK -- Thousands Green Country fans will spend the holiday weekend at a three-day music festival. Rocklahoma kicks off in Pryor Friday night.

And you can peek in on the party without ever leaving home.

A late-night jam session, an intimate venue, a slice of Tulsa sound. It's the kind of thing even avid music lovers don't always get a chance to see.

"I wasn't able to go to a lot of concerts," said Randy Webb, Juke Zoo. "So I thought if I could stay home and watch it online. Great. So that's what birthed it."

His brain-child is the website, jukezoo.com.

"Juke is a slang word for music. And zoo is a place of exhibition of different species," Webb said. "So we do all genres: blues, rock, country, gospel, everything."

Randy Webb says the site launched about a year ago. Juke Zoo is similar to social networking sites like Facebook, where you can create a profile, share pictures, and connect with other fans.

But what sets the site apart is the live streaming of local concerts.

"It took a while and finally probably four or five months later we started doing a lot more broadcasts," Webb said. "And we got up to 30 broadcasts a month."

Rock bands from all over the country are in Pryor for Rocklahoma. But thanks to Juke Zoo, you're only a few clicks away from the rock music festival, wherever you are.

"Experiencing a live concert, there's nothing like it," Webb said. "No matter how much you get on video, you've got to be there. But the benefit of that is this is worldwide, it's not just local."

From their cage at the Juke Zoo, Wink Burcham can be seen by talent scouts, booking agents and record labels.

"A lot of the bands in Tulsa, they can't get out. It's expensive," Webb said. "So this is a chance for them to do their thing, like they always do. Let us come in and do our thing. And expose them to the world."