{"id":1848,"date":"2025-05-30T18:05:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/its-festival-season-does-the-totem-friend-finder-actually-find-your-friends\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T18:05:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:05:16","slug":"its-festival-season-does-the-totem-friend-finder-actually-find-your-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/its-festival-season-does-the-totem-friend-finder-actually-find-your-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Festival Season! Does the Totem Friend Finder Actually Find Your Friends?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/TotemWearing_Tribe-scaled-e1748624233381.jpeg\" width=\"1290\" height=\"727\" alt=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019re a true music fan, you know that in April, Southern California\u2019s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival marks the beginning of US festival season. In May, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas kicks into gear, and by June, festival season is happening in full force across the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The quest for seeing your favorite music acts, while discovering new ones, and spending quality time with your besties in nature or under the night sky begin. Yet one thing can put a major damper on an event you\u2019ve looked forward to (and saved up for!) all year long. It\u2019s that moment when you\u2019re separated from your friends and cell phone service goes down. Imagine that you\u2019re at a different stage than your friends and one of them has your group\u2019s parking spot pinned to their phone. With no way to find them, it could be a very long, stressful night of wondering how to safely get back to where you\u2019re staying instead of experiencing the music you love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More from Spin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/5-independent-artists-to-soundtrack-your-summer\/\">5 Independent Artists to Soundtrack Your Summer<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/qobuz-shares-streamable-monthly-top-albums-chart-for-april\/\">Qobuz\u00a0Shares Streamable Monthly Top Albums Chart for April<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/now-hear-this-may-2025\/\">Now Hear This: May 2025<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On day three of EDC, it\u2019s 8:14 p.m. The site has been open for a little more than an hour and text messages have already stopped going through. <em>It\u2019s that dreaded moment.<\/em> Yet with today\u2019s latest technology, it may not have to be a scary situation. A new technology called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.totemlabs.com\/order\" target=\"_blank\">Totem Compass<\/a> promises that you will \u201cnever get lost at a festival again.\u201d This friend-finding compass claims to track your friend\u2019s direction in real time within a 1000+ meter radius. Simply follow the light and it will lead you to your pals in a massive crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/HowTo-1.mov\"><\/video><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-totem-nbsp-compass-review-edc-2025\">Totem\u00a0Compass Review: EDC 2025<\/h3>\n<p>At EDC, with 140,000+ attendees, and armed with a Totem, it\u2019s time to find out if the claims are true. The device looks like a pendant or necklace and is worn around your neck. It contains technology based on satellites and a mesh network versus less reliable Wi-Fi, 5G or Bluetooth. It took less than an hour to charge before leaving for the site.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of my Totem carrying tribe have set up a meeting spot and time to \u201cbond\u201d our devices before heading into the madness. We can add up to four friends each to track. They must also have the device (which retails for $69-89 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.totemlabs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">totemlabs.com<\/a>). If you want to connect more friends, the hack is to \u201cdaisy chain\u201d everyone by using one of your cohorts as another person\u2019s bond who has a different set of friends. This can go on and on.<\/p>\n<p>After meeting up, we pick up our Totems, hit the slightly raised button on the bottom to turn them on, then hold them horizontally.\u00a0<em>Note that the recessed button on the bottom is an SOS command in case you need a distress signal. More on that later.<\/em>\u00a0After the Totems connect to satellites, to calibrate the Totem, twirl one time at least 360 degrees with it in-hand held up.\u00a0<em>That\u2019s right, twirl like you\u2019re a candy raver or channeling your best Stevie Nicks.<\/em>\u00a0<em>Nobody will think twice about it at a festival.\u00a0<\/em>Do this every time you want to establish a navigation path.<\/p>\n<p>Now It\u2019s time to hold two Totems next to each other, pressing and holding the top center button, also known as the Touch Crystal.\u00a0This will \u201cbond\u201d you and assign a colored light to your friend so you will know which friend you are tracking by color association. Rinse and repeat for up to three more friends. All four colors will appear in a ring on your pendant. The colors also vibe to the music. Yep, an added bonus. Now you\u2019re free to roam the festival grounds without fear of losing anyone. Also know, there are three brightness levels to keep your Totem at. Day Vibe will last up to 10 hours, Night Vibe up to 14 hours, and Eco Mode 24+ hours. You can also recharge with a USB-C cable, which is included in your package when you buy one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In speaking with others using their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.totemlabs.com\/reviews\" target=\"_blank\">Totems<\/a> at EDC, the most common reaction was that it was so much easier to find friends once they \u201cgot the hang of it.\u201d Most people admitted that there is a learning curve but once that\u2019s mastered, using a Totem is \u201cso worth it.\u201d Others said, \u201cWe\u2019re figuring it out but hopeful!\u201d That seems to be true of most new technologies, until the moment when we can\u2019t live without them. Remember when we didn\u2019t have ChatGPT?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another thing to know about your Totem is that it may require an update from time to time. If so, simply triple-click on the SOS button and it will initiate the update process. There\u2019s no harm in doing this on a regular basis to make sure you are operating at maximum capacity. A couple of EDC friend groups admitted to being frustrated when they first tried to use their Totems on day one of EDC but once they did an update, it was a gamechanger.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-1290x968.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-465383\" style=\"width:1600px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-1290x968.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-340x255.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-498x374.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/IMG_3313-1668x1251.jpg 1668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Courtesy of Totem<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s almost midnight at EDC and I\u2019ve seen one bad DJ on the Main (Kinetic Field) Stage. <em>Tell me why you need to keep taking your shirt off to play in-your-face techno that\u2019s not really techno<\/em>? There were better sets on the smaller stages like Quantum Valley with Le Youth, who threw down a notable moody EDM version of Fleetwood Mac\u2019s \u201cDreams,\u201d and the mesmerizing Miss Monique. Obviously, I\u2019m more into house, while my crew went off to discover bass but it\u2019s time to meet up for Excision at Circuit Grounds. I\u2019ll admit that at a festival, I let the music guide me and that means I can get lost easily because I\u2019m not paying attention to what direction I\u2019m going in, only what music I\u2019m hearing. After attending many EDCs, it\u2019s fair to say that festival\u2019s logistics are especially challenging and chaotic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time to see if my Totem really does work with so many other people onsite. Truth be told, it was easy. I simply held up my pendant and followed the pink light prompt to my friend, even though I was totally lost. So, no panic or wondering how I\u2019d get home. It\u2019s safe to say, I\u2019m pretty hopeful about the technology. On a side note, with the Totem, the more people using it at a festival, the better success rate everyone will experience, which is the opposite of cell phone connectivity. At EDC, there were 2000+ Totems onsite \u2013 so it was good connectivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"1613\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-1290x1613.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-465241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-1290x1613.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-340x425.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-498x623.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-1668x2085.jpg 1668w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/Totem_Product_2-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Courtesy of Totem<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The future of Totem looks promising as the company gets ready to release their app (projected for the end of June 2025) and a line of accessories including longer bedazzled Totem chains to make more of a fashion statement, among other items, that will deliver on the technology\u2019s promise to make festival experiences safer, more immersive, and more beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>As you head off to your desired summer festival, pick up a Totem and get one for a friend \u2013 or four \u2013 that you don\u2019t want to lose track of. To keep updated on the latest Totem news, product enhancements, and discounts, sign up for the newsletter or head to the blog by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.totemlabs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">totemlabs.com<\/a>. There\u2019s even information on safety like <em>Can someone nefarious track me?<\/em> <em>The answer is no<\/em>. If you want more technical details about how the proprietary software and GPS technology work together <a href=\"https:\/\/www.totemlabs.com\/post\/how-the-totem-compass-works\" target=\"_blank\">go here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Be safe and have the most amazing festival season imaginable!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2021\/07\/the-greatest-rock-stars-of-all-time\/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=bottomlink&amp;utm_campaign=yahoolink\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a true music fan, you know that in April, Southern California\u2019s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival marks the beginning of US festival season. In May, Electric Daisy&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[214,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ad-takeover","category-spin-recommends"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}