The Mixapp Journey
MUSIC PROJECT — MEDIUM POST
“All I know is that…I know nothing”. There are times you consiously believe having the knowledge, the right answers with whatever you come up with. However, reality is beyond what we thought, always remind us, as hard as might be, that we are in a zero point. In a point where almost nothing counts, where you always return back in the very start trying to discover all that you impulsively thought you have acquaintace with.
Imagine diving for the first time in a sea bed believing that it’s okay I can do it, pretty much you have all the necessary informations, but in the process you realize that is not so simple as it seems. You are comfortable with an unkown and unfamiliar environment and, guess what, the only way to survive in that is by filling yourself with all the required knowledge even before you take the decision to get into this.
The feeling above is somehow where we found ourselves when we were asked, in the context of Start Lab, to deal with the challenge of creating, from scratch, our very own startup with the terms and requirements of true market. As much as we believed that, in a way, we knew how to process with this task we soon realized that “building” a startup needs a set of skills and knowledge but also consistency and devotion to your goal. And the goal in that case was to bring innovation in the music “industry” and especially in the fields of audio and radio.
Through AD and PR Lab of Panteion University, with the contribution of Antenna Music Lab, and the undeniable contribution and guidance of our mentors we got into the “deep waters” of startup taking a long but fascinating “trip” with unvaluable experiences and knowledge which will be a “treasure” for what is expecting to come in our professional life.
The initial idea
In the uncharted “ocean” of information and services overwhelming the digital environment, arises an increasing need to have the chance to guide yourself directly to the “source” of your interest. Don’t roaming unnecessarily but knowing that there is a place which is capable of covering even the most specialized need.
Given this fact -and based on the trend of innovation — we came up firstly with the idea to address to remix “lovers” covering a vital need of them, to, easily, find their favourite song. For example, you have been in a party and among others you listen a remix that “spoke” to you and afterwords want to find it via certain services like shazam but unfortunately you couldn’t.
In that point we came with a solution.Our application would gather all the rare and beloved remixes fullfiling the wish of people who love that particular kind of music and until now, according to our research, didn’t have their own “space” to find and enjoy their favourite songs.
But except being only theoritical, we had to get to the core.The future customers.
Let’s speak of Customer Validation.
We asked first, our fellow students and friends.They were all positive.
Having a big challenge in front of us — the foundation of a startup — we began making an initial research regarding audio innovation as we needed to explore whether the need we are supposed to cover is indeed real or not.
We discover that this specific need is not addressing to one direction, involves and other partners of music industry, like producers and dj’s. Our meet and discussion with Mrs Domnica Screta, producer in Antenna Music and Mr George Seragos, producer and possible Dj user, give us a new perspective and made us understand that the solution we intent to offer has more than one parameters and also recipients.
The Value Proposition Canvas
After that we redesigned our initial idea and concluded to our final project which has as a central goal to offer the colaboration triangle between producers, dj’s and listeners in a way that they can benefit from each other and make real their wishfull thoughts.
We created the value proposition canvas of our idea so as to verify that we meet the expectations of our potential customers and avoid any kind of failure. More specific our “mision” was to visualize, design and test how to create value for our customers.
The value proposition canvas is consisted of two parts, the value map and the customer segment. Is a combination of products and services which provide value to the customer by resulting in the solution of a problem the customer is facing or providing value to the customer. And…the secret in all that is to solve a problem in a unique way.
In the first part we have the value map where, considering that our product is already released in the market, we offer the pain relievers to our customers, namely minimizing the problems they face, and the the gains, that its to say the benefits that expect or have a wishfull thinking for it. Specifically the pains conclude an instant connection between members of mixapp society, a premium ability / download ability, a respected privacy, a set of paypall methods and above all…. sharing is caring. On the other hand gains are connected with the establishment of a database list with many producers and djs, the collection of a huge variety of songs and the creation of personalized profiles which will help everyone interested to easily guide himself to the person is suitable for him.
The second part is called customer segment and describe the important issue our customers are trying to solve, as so as the solutions the Mixapp offer to that directions. In the customer jobs we are talking about a big list of data with songs, a easy navigation and trustworthy ways of payments. Relating to pains we came up with the facts that the production of new remixes needs a lot of money, there are few producers and creators are not being awknowledged by the audience and producers because of the lack of sharing methods. To the opposite gains are offered by Mixapp refered to learn new songs, have trustworthy relationships with the producer of their songs, have access to a huge variety of songs and be famous.
The Business Model Canvas
The aftewards of value proposition canvas found us ahead of the next challenge we had to deal with, to create the business model canvas of our project, in other words to visualize the whole concept of our startup as we determined in previous step. Of course to do so we got the necessary feedback from our mentors and students fellows which was very helpful in order to improve our project and correct every weaknesses we confronted with.
A business model canvas is a visual chart with elements decribing a service’s or product’s value proposition, customers, infrastucture and finances, all these factors that are crucial so as success to be ensured.
Mixapp is an application which address to — potential key partners — producerss who want to produce and create collaborations with dj’s, dj’s that search for specific songs to be only for them based on their needs as professionals and simple users who enjoy having fun and hearing remixes but also people who want to have a word on what music they will be hearing in the club.
As for the key activities they refer to superior quality remixes, the core of the remix industry online, offer of collaborations between dj’s and producers. Furthermore remixes that are personalized and validated not only from the dj’s but from the listeners too.
Through Mixapp we want to to built an relationship with our customers based on the elements of trust, loyalty, exlusiveness and long-term. Above all is a service with a value as its stands out for the fact that it is specif, direct, simple and most important is the first greek dj application.
Our main channels are foremost our application but also significant technological “tools” as google, facebook, appstore, peer groups and tunebat. As for our revenue streams they are focused to advertisment, premium services and season premium services.
Final Pitch. The Mixapp is here
A great effort, with a lot of good and difficult moments, eventually comes to an end. Having preceded a constant process of feedback, revaluations, concerns and nevertheless mistakes -is the key point to learn and improve yourself — we finally reached our product.
The service we wanted to offer is an application that would create a remix community where producers, dj’s and simple listeneres have the change to promote their work, collaborate with people of the same interest and not least to find and listen their favourite remixes which can’t find anywhere else.
However, before we launch our application, we conducted a quantative survey in a sample of 70 participants as we wanted to have the opion of some people on our peer group on whether they consider our project as a good idea. The results indeed confirmed us as the participants answered that our idea and furthermore our application is bringing something that was missed in the field of music industry.
Of course, in order for our business to survive in the long run, we need to find out exactly what it is different from competition.
Following secondary research and using quantitative and qualitative research methods, we have found that we are the only application nationwide that brings together the producers of a song, already experienced or even novice DJs, but also the public, which has an active role. Each listener can evaluate and essentially choose which remix might be the next hit. As competitors, we considered these:
YouTube (cannot bring the specialists in touch)
Spotify (You Cannot Interact With The Person [Producer, DJ] You Want)
Shazam (The User Can Only Search & Find The Song)
EDM Ghost Producer (The User Cannot Rate The Song)
However…How are we going to approach our first 100 customers?
- We will speak to friends and make them speak to their friends for our app and do more value research.Engage in the pains and come up with pain relievers and needs of the users.
- We will then blog about it.We will let everyone know that this app is going to work in favor of everyone
- We will then find our people.Internet is full of blogs with people sharing their thoughts and problems.If we think this is a problem,we are not alone.
- Email people.Email is still the backbone of the internet.This will be handy because people are always checking their emails.With the right tone of writing we will sure gain trust.
- Before it is premium…it will be FREE in order to gain some ground.
And finally,
6.We will do some affiliate marketing and bring some DJ influencers and users to the game.
We will then follow the revenue model of Ad-based Revenue gaining money from ads which is something everyone is used this days and it can help us introduce to our users easier the premium edition of our app without losing their trust.
And…Mixapp came into life. Our application moves in two directions as it is addressed to professionals as well as to ordinary listeners. Producers will be able to promote their work as well as to create new songs via collaboration with dj’s. Both of them will have now the chance to establish themselves in the music industry and earn significant popularity. They have now the “key” they have been missing in the “road” of success.
Mixapp is not only for the professionals, we take care and the simple listeners, the people who love to discover and enjoy hearing good music and especially “diamonds” of remixes. Here they can find easily the remix they looking for, as rare as may be, and at the same time they can express their opinion about what happening in the field of music.
This is only the beginning of our “journey” as we have a lot of things to improve and make our product even more valuable. In the process of AD and PR Lab we were privileged to have to opportunity to work and gain experience in one of the greatest trends on market today. The least we can do is to express our gratitude to Mrs Betty Tsakarestou αnd Antenna Music for their mentoring and guidance throughout this “journey”.
THE AFTER PITCH/UPDATED.
We are now on Monday 10th of June.
It is pretty hot for the day but we have to make it to ADandPRlab in order to have our first pitch.We arrive early and we get to be first in the line to be evaluated.
The pitch starts.Blood is rising and we speak as clearly as we can in order to get our message through.
Our evaluators are paying attentions and after some more presentations of other groups we have the final results…
WE NEED MORE WORK. But that is necessary.
1.The idea was a bit theoritcal and it needs more validation from our customers.
2.We must come in contact with our rivals.As we mentioned we will blend with Spotify if that’s possible.
3.We must create more personas to get better results.
IN CONCLUSION, one must not fear of failure rather benefit from it.We saw Monday as our chance to do better.And we will!
TO BE CONTINUED….
The Visualete team:
Νίκος Κοντομήτρος (41160025)
Ηλιανα πανταζη (41160068)
Christina Baltouna (41160174)
Lida.Charitonidis (41160092)
We want to thank Betty Tsakarestou and Domnika Skreta for giving us this opportunity!
