To some, it’s a dating app. To others, it’s a shortcut to no-strings coitus.
But is Tinder, with its 50m users, hurting the live music scene?
According to one promoter, it certainly “has a lot to answer for”.
Here’s the theory: young (and not so young) men and women used to go to pubs, clubs and gigs to meet each other.
They were either there to watch live music, or they weren’t, and there was live music happening anyway.
Now, with Tinder’s, erm, ‘direct to fan’ advantages, these people simply don’t need to spend their evenings gawping at musicians to get their rocks off.
This is all according to a concerned anonymous Australian promoter, anyway.
James Young is the owner of Cherry Bar, a night spot on AC/DC Lane in Melbourne, Australia.
This week he posted a message on Cherry Bar’s Facebook that’s since sparked debate across the world.
Young explained to followers that he and his unnamed associate were “discussing the fact that 2015 was a tough year” for their businesses.
“Then he posed a theory I had never heard before: ‘You’ve forgotten the most important factor of all. Tinder has destroyed the live music and pub scene.’
“YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T GO TO PUBS AND CLUBS TO PICK UP ANYMORE. THEY’RE JUST PICKING UP THEIR PHONES.”
ANONYMOUS PROMOTER
He went on to explain: “First, look at Grinder and the gay scene. Grindr came two years before Tinder. Commercial Road Prahran used to be a thriving late night gay hot spot. Now, it’s dead as a door nail. It’s over.
“Now we are seeing the same thing with Tinder.
“This is how young people ‘pick up’ these days. I see them in the office. They’re on it all the time.
“They’re not going out to clubs and pubs to pick up anymore. They’re just picking up their phones.
“Tinder is killing off clubs and pubs all over Melbourne and Australia. And when they take their dates out for the first time, they try to impress them with some chic dining experience, rather than a rowdy live music experience.
“I’m telling you, Tinder has a lot to answer for. It’s bleak out their for club owners. These are dark and challenging times.
“We need to get young people off their phones and back into our bars to actually socialise or we’re all going to go out of business.”
We don’t know about that, but you’ve got to say it’s a compelling argument.
What we do know about is this: over the weekend, at the glorious Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg, a friend of MBW clocked a man with a female pal sitting in his lap.
Nothing wrong with that. A romantic scene.
They were cuddling and smooching a little bit, but it was all within the parameters of decency.
Letting their hair down at a summer festival. God bless young love.
She departed to go to the toilet. Must have been gone 180 seconds.
In that time, transfixed to his phone, he casually right-swiped about 20 women on Tinder.
We are reliably informed that there was only one left-swipe.
She returned, and the cuddles began anew.
These are terrifying times.
