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Music is always in the air. But many of us don't know exactly where it's playing next. In cities like New York or Mumbai, there are so many events happening at once, the one you wanted to catch can easily slip by: unless our eyes catch a billboard or an advert in the newspapers.

Thanks to the web, you should never have to miss a beat. There are umpteen ways to follow your favorite artist, band, or even get advance notice of an upcoming concert. We have previously looked at 3 Ways to Track Tour Dates of Your Favorite Rock Bands and 3 Web Apps for Staying On Top Of the Music Scene.

Then there are apps like Nightingale or Last.fm which keeps you updated if any favorite band is playing in the area. Now, ever since Google mashups gained ground, I have become bit of a map freak. So I am heading to these eight websites which help to track bands and upcoming concerts with some help from maps.

Gruvr

Gruvr is a band tracking app that uses Google Maps to locate any bands playing nearby. You can enter a keyword and specify the radial distance you want to cover in your search for local performances. Gruvr also lets you create a detailed RSS feed for any area that helps you stay in the know of the upcoming acts in your area all the time.

You don't need to sign up. In fact you can use Track on Radar to follow an artist and get concert alerts in your inbox.

Effingmusic

Effingmusic is a musical mashup that asks you where you are and then proceeds to pinpoint shows on a Google Map around your area. You can finetune it by giving a span of dates and a range of kilometers.

Effingmusic combines data from Google Maps, Bandloop.com (for venue info), and MySpace Music (for streaming MP3s and band info).

The Last(.fm) Music Map

This one gives you the biggest map of them all to jive around on. It's a music mashup between Last.fm (Audioscrobbler) and Google Maps. You can search by location or artist. Every artist's events will be displayed on the map and you can add your own too.

Gigze [No Longer Available]

Gigzee geo-locates you and gives you the dope on any "˜gigz' around you on a Google Map. You can of course, enter another location and filter the results by range, date, and genre. The data comes in from Last.fm. It is the genre filter that I find the most useful.

You can then log in with your MySpace or Facebook ID and track the gig. Members also get to write and review artists and that's a lot of help if you are planning to catch any of the upcoming shows.

Tourtracker

Tourtracker is an AOL Music web service. The site helps you keep up with tour dates and schedules of your favorite bands and artists. Along with the tour dates and the concert information, you can also buy tickets. You can use the site's own search engine (Who, Where, When) to get some quick information.

But to stay current, you can use the Track Shows Near You which is a map based tracker based on maps from MapQuest. Individual shows get their own pages with location information tagged on a map. The free music service also has loads of other information arranged around an artist's tour news.

Map Channels Events

A simple site which maps events of all kinds (not only music) on a Google Map. Without any stylized elements on the site, you can dive straight into the information listed under various headings.  You can click on the interactive events calendar for each city and get an overview on the Google Map.

A lot of the events can also be downloaded as KML files viewable on Google Earth. Clicking on an events venue brings it up on a Google Map. You can also check out the venue on Street View too.

Folkjam [Broken URL Removed]

This little known site is about local jam maps. It could be a great way for you to discover new music and new artists. The site's main focus is on acoustic music and it has a community behind it. You can connect to artists who play your tune and also promote them via the community. The map's colored place markers show the nature of the jam sessions.

Podbop

Enter your city or click it on the map. Then get the complete listing of shows playing in your area; click on any one and see it on a large Google Map. The site is "an MP3 concert calendar that helps you discover bands playing in your town". You also get hints of other details like ticket prices, hotel bookings, and other events that are happening around town (courtesy of Eventful.com). The site also has an artist's database with legal, officially hosted MP3s thrown in for your listening pleasure.

Using maps gives you a bird's eye view of events happening around the world. A map based tool shows you what other events may be happening in the area. Some even point you towards an online ticket window. Last but not least, it shows you how to turn up by giving you the directions.

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