OnTour Widget for Mac

Quick summary

OnTour is a desktop widget designed to surface local concert information quickly. After launching it, enter your city or ZIP code and it will generate a list of upcoming shows in your area. It covers both mainstream and indie performers.

Getting started and setup

To use the widget you must first provide a location (city name or postal code) and complete an initial account setup. The registration process emphasizes purchasing music through the service, but you can also reach other music stores like iTunes and Napster from within the app.

Main capabilities

• Add performers to a personal watchlist so you can monitor them.
• Inspect an artist to reveal options such as venue details, tour schedules, and ticket purchasing.
• Purchase tickets and view full tour dates via links that take you to the service’s web pages.
• Share artists with friends — currently only supported through Facebook.

How links and browsing work

Most of the time, when you ask to see tour dates or buy tickets the widget launches a web browser (we tested with Firefox) and redirects you to the OnTour website to complete the action.

Known problems and usability notes

• The list view can feel awkward to navigate when scanning many events.
• Artwork or thumbnail images in the sidebar sometimes fail to load.
• You will not be able to do much until the required account is configured.
• The interface nudges users toward buying tracks on the platform during sign-up.

Alternatives to consider

• Bandsintown — focused on concert discovery and notifications.
• CheatSheet (free) — a lightweight option for quick reference.
• Songkick — good for tracking favorite artists and syncing with calendars.