VibeDeck Raises $2 Million For Direct-To-Fan eCommerce Platform For Musicians
Summary
VibeDeck, a web service that enables music artists to sell their digital wares directly to their fans for free, announced today that it has raised a $2 million seed round from several U.S. and international investors. The early-stage startup launched in beta just last month and plans to use this round of seed capital to ramp up hiring, expand its marketing efforts, and add functionality to its current feature set. While ostensibly facing competition from sites like BandCamp, a publishing platform for musicians that offers direct-to-fan music and merchandise sales, the similarities are broad. VibeDeck hopes that, by focusing on becoming a cheap eCommerce destination for small bands looking to sell their music and connect with fans, that it can provide what was once (and may still be) the most productive part of MySpace. Looking ahead, VibeDeck is considering the addition of Facebook and SoundCloud integration, as well as potentially building a player widget that artists can embed on their own websites.