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Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Pitch
Playlist Piano combines music skills with song
By Lynette F. Cornell
Jobzle demos at Betaspring
UMass President Jack Wilson on Entrepreneurship
Playlist Piano
Headquarters: Wellesley
Phone: 617-312-4560
Email: jon@playlistpiano.com
URL: www.playlistpiano.com
Founded: 2008
Employees: 4
In the company’s own words:
“What if you could learn to play ‘Fur Elise’ on the piano by the end of next week? Maybe you would prefer to play ‘Candle in the Wind’ or ‘Morning Has Broken’ or ‘Scarborough Fair’? If you answered yes, then you’re among the 60 percent of adults who wish they played an instrument. But because traditional lessons require months of boring drills before students ever get to the songs they want to play, only 5 percent of people endure the painstaking process of learning to play music. Enter Playlist Piano, where with our patent-pending method, songs you love are the lesson plan. Students choose a song from our growing catalog of favorites and start learning it right away. After just a few hours of practice, even if they have no musical experience, they will be able to master the song’s beginner version. As they learn their song, students also learn the fundamentals of playing piano. And, as they learn more songs and their playlist grows, so do their piano skills.”
The technology:
Playlist Piano provides online tutorials for each song lesson. A virtual piano instructor guides players through the lesson, which features video explanations of the song’s musical structure and the playing techniques used. The lesson also features step-by-step audio prompts that break each song into segments that teach a new skill. Playlist Piano currently has six songs on the site with plans to add two per month. In the future, the company plans to include an interactive option where users can plug their keyboards into their computers and record their progress. The company sources the music from public domain and through licensing agreements with rights holders of printed music. It sells the online lessons as well as keyboard kits geared toward beginners.
People behind the company:
Jon Klein, CEO, is also the founder of the market strategy consulting firm Topline Strategy Group, where Klein initially incubated Playlist Piano. Bob Kliger, COO & musical director, previously founded Workgroup Management, which was acquired by Documentum. He also worked as the VP of services for the e-learning startup Eloquent, before becoming a professional musician. Nilesh Shroff, who serves part-time as CTO, also runs an outsourced IT development boutique in Andover called An2Software. He previously founded a software company that was acquired by OutStart. Peter Bleyleben, board member of venture capital network Common Angels, serves as an advisor to the company.
The pitch:
The company is seeking between $250,000 and $500,000 to expand its music catalog, fund additional marketing and sales efforts and enhance the product platform. It is also seeking partnerships with electronic keyboard manufacturers and retailers of keyboards such as Best Buy. The company is currently funded through a $125,000 seed round raised last year that included investment from Peter Bleyleben and an unnamed outside investor, in addition to investment by Klein and Kliger.
The competition:
According to Klein, the company’s competition includes businesses that provide traditional music lessons, music lesson DVDs and Internet music lessons.
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