Conductor, composer, arranger, producer and songwriter Steve Hackman is the newly appointed creative director of FUSE at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where he conducts and produces an innovative new concert series aimed at interacting with a new young audience. He is also the creative director of :STEREO HIDEOUT:, a music brand that represents the removal of barriers between classical and popular music and the skillful blending of the two. He recently talked to AMT-Lab contributor Sophia Hubeny about his favorite apps.

Sophia Hubeny: What are the apps do you use everyday and why do you like them?

Steve Hackman: Every day I use Spotify and Soundcloud to listen, Voice Memos and Notes to record demos/ideas, and Pages/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat to let people know what's going on

Sophia Hubeny: Is there an app that has surprised you with its usefulness?

Steve Hackman: Probably Uber, since I don't have a car in Pittsburgh!

Sophia Hubeny: Is there an app you think developers should be working on?

Steve Hackman: When I'm working on a big piece (like the March 9 Stravinsky Remix show), I often put demos of sections into my phone to listen to as I go to gym or as I'm walking around, just to gauge how the piece is feeling. I wish there was an app where I could easily upload, organize and access this media (besides iTunes, which I haven't used in ages and don't want to)

Sophia Hubeny: If you could recommend one app to arts managers, what would it be?

Steve Hackman: I'd say make sure you learn and intimately understand whatever the Social Media app of the moment is. You can't afford the attitude 'I don't get Snapchat. It's not for me'. It's pretty fascinating to follow the trends and study the variations and development over time of these platforms. It can tell us a lot about audiences and the way people are consuming messaging and communicating these days.