Ghost Apps LLC and Gizz Tapes
September 27, 2026 · Andrew Reitz
This post is an attempt to explain how Ghost Apps LLC came about, how I got involved with Gizz Tapes, what my role with Gizz Tapes is, how much it costs to keep the Gizz Tapes apps out there, and what I will do with any funding from Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.
The Beginning
Ghost Apps LLC came about because of some app store rules. The big one: if you publish as an individual, your tax address is shown publicly. Addresses are not secret, but I don’t need mine that easy to find. Some other benefits of having a company are that you get around some of the restrictions Apple and Google’s stores place on individual developers.
So, with a small fee, a made-up name (based on a Phish song; I’m not good at naming), and some paperwork, Ghost Apps LLC was born.
KGLW and Gizz Tapes
While browsing Reddit one day, I noticed a post about a website for streaming all of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s live shows, called Gizz Tapes. This website was similar to Phish.in, whose API I was using at the time for my Android app, Never Ending Splendor. I reached out to the developer of the website through GitLab about being able to use their API. That’s how I met Jamie, who built the website and the API, and how I got connected with the rest of the KGLW.net crew.
The Apps
I built the original app just for Android; I functionally forked Never Ending Splendor and made the changes I needed to get an app out there pretty quickly.
After making the Android app, I thought we’d maybe find an iOS developer, but after a year or so I figured I should try my hand at converting the project to Kotlin Multiplatform, allowing me to use mostly the same codebase to make Android, iOS, and desktop apps. Fast-forward about a year and we finally had an iOS app! Desktop is there too, but I don’t think anyone actually uses that; we sort of get it for free, so I figured I might as well make it.
Costs
The cost to keep an app published in Apple’s App Store is $99 a year. To publish to Google’s Play Store, it was a one-time $25 fee. On top of that, dealing with both of these stores is an absolute headache, which is why my other apps are free on GitHub but paid on the Play Store. There are other costs here and there, like needing a Mac to actually build the iPhone app, which was one of the hurdles I ran into. I’m happy to pay these costs out of Ghost Apps’ pocket, but really do appreciate any support the community provides.
I'm not familiar with what it costs to keep KGLW.net or the Gizz Tapes website running, but I imagine it's a lot more than the app store fee.
Patreon & Buy Me a Coffee
If I do receive over $100 combined from Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee over the course of the year, which covers the cost of the Apple Developer Fee, I’ll try to figure out how to use that money to help other areas of Gizz Tapes or KGLW.net. That could be anything from helping pay for server costs, to hosting our entire collection on our own servers, to donating to Archive.org, which hosts all of the shows right now (seriously, if you can, donate to them).
I don’t have any subscribers on Patreon right now, but if I do get any, I’ll probably let them decide what to name the releases. I’ll try to come up with other fun stuff too, but we’ll cross that bridge if and when it happens.
Thanks
I just want to give a HUGE thanks to Jamie for creating the API and website we use! Without you we wouldn’t have Gizz Tapes at all.
I also want to shout out all the people at KGLW.net who help maintain the list of shows we can stream, maintain all the data on dot net from setlists to posters, and those of you who tape the shows and upload them.
And lastly, thanks to Archive.org for hosting all of the shows.
Thanks to everyone who makes this community great, and huge thanks for all the kind words about the app. It’s what helps me keep going.