Locusic is launching on Saturday in Des Moines, and the internet radio service that streams music from local bands is celebrating with — what else? — a party and concert featuring several Des Moines-area acts. The concert, which will include five local bands, starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bombay Bicycle Club in Clive.

Locusic creator Jake Kerber said in a phone call Thursday that Locusic had about 30 Des Moines acts signed up already. Listeners can register for Locusic in advance to ensure access to the service when it launches Saturday. After that, Kerber said, Locusic will operate on an invitation system as it ramps up in central Iowa.

Following Saturday's launch, Kerber (left, photo from twitter.com) will present at Pitch & Grow 6 on Wednesday at the Iowa Innovation Expo in Coralville. Locusic, which was born out of product of Startup Weekend Des Moines, earned a spot in Wednesday's pitch session by winning Pitch & Grow 5 in Des Moines on Sept. 29. 

Kerber has been working with bands in preparation for Saturday's launch and said the response has been largely positive. In fact, the band Bright Giant plans to debut some of its new album on Locusic. "So far," Kerber said, "everything's been really cool — really good feedback from the bands."

After the busy couple on Locusic's immediate horizon, Kerber said things should calm down a bit as Locusic looks to grow its user-base and stable of artists in Des Moines. He said Locusic's next big move will hopefully be a launch in a second market, Minneapolis, early next year.