Discovering Jamendo
Personal Disclosure:
I don’t work for jamendo, and I don’t know the people who work there. They’re not paying me (yet). Although I did sign up for the Pro program and am hopeful to make enough money to buy guitar strings every now and then. Basically, I’m just an ordinary dude like you making his way through the universe and dropping pieces of art here and there as I go along. Some of it gets noticed, some of it dosen’t. C’est la vie.
Why do I love Jamendo? Let me count the ways:
1) Killer UI and Design (uh, yeah, user interface, I live in Austin, TX, everybody here talks that way). Admittedly I am a design freak. If you get the design right you are on the right path, add in great content, well then you’ve almost got the silver bullet.
Clean lines, simple site navigation, no stupid ads for crap. (please avoid this, don’t sell your soul jamendo. there’s so much more to life than money, despite what your capital investors may tell you). Color scheme: well it’s full on Mardi Gras every day on this site. Nothing wrong with that? I don’t know, maybe they could consult some Jackson Pollacks or Damien Hurst for some better colors, but overall, I like the colors.
Great functions and features: Have I broached a new topic? Probably, but keep reading my humble reader. Nuggets of wisdom will shine upon you.
2) The KILLER APP
All entrepreneurs, especially those foolish, er, smart enough to take venture capital promise the killer app. And why wouldn’t you? You’re getting some X millions of dollars of some Orphans and Windows pension fund to go out and take over the universe. You better return a whole bunch of money, fast. I think Jamendo is building the killer music app. Here’s what they are doing and why it will work: Synch licenses and broadcast music rights are expensive. I know this as I purchase these licenses for my business. I pay a minimum of $375 US a year to use a couple songs on my website. Well, that number is going to get cut by anywhere from 85-90% going forward as I use Jamendo’s service and/or create my own music. ( I do create music and have been paid tens (as in $10s) of dollars to do so). Lots of people will face the same economic value proposition. Many of them will choose wisely. Others will remain parted from their money.
The quality of music on the site holds its own. You will find insanely good music on the site. So from a pure economics perspective (where marginal cost equals marginal revenue: I thought about going to the LSE like Mick Jaggar but deferred) the business model stands firm. Quality product for a quality price. Can they sell it? Let’s hope so.
The folks at BMI, ASCAP and SEASAC will quake in their boots. Listen carefully, ear to the ground. That’s the sound of $500/hr lawyers renogtiating office rent contracts in New York, LA and Nashvegas. Looks like synch revenues are gonna take a hit, Morty. Time to crank up the re-org mahcine.
3) Smart Users
I’ve spent a fair amount of time on this site. In fact, I’ve even wasted time on this site listening to music rather than answering the phone or responding to business inquiries. People write well written, honest reviews, most of the time. I’ve found an authenticity here that I’ve seen on other social media sites like Twitter. It appears to be a real site with non ego-centric people. Oh, jeez, there I go again projecting what I want on you. Who am I anyway?
4) Keep it up Jamendo. Serve the people well and success will be your chalice.
Peace and Perfect Pitch,
Its Craig
