Vampr is a location-based social and professional networking platform which facilitates music discovery, collaboration, and communication between musicians, creatives, industry professionals and fans.[2] Founded in 2015 by Australian musicians Josh Simons and Barry Palmer, the platform was acquired by Vinyl Group in June 2023.
 | |
| Developer(s) | Vampr Inc.[1] |
|---|---|
| Initial release | May 2016 |
| Operating system | Apple iOS (iOS 11.0 or later), Android (5.0 or later) |
| Type | Geosocial networking |
| License | Proprietary software |
| Website | vampr |
History
editThe Los Angeles–based startup was founded in 2015 by Australian musicians Josh Simons and Barry Palmer of Hunters & Collectors.[3] According to The Australian Financial Review, the company received seed funding from Nick Feldman of British band Wang Chung.[4] Apple named the app in its "Best of 2017" list.[5]
In August 2019, the company launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder which saw the company reach their minimum fund-raising target in the first hour.[6] In a follow-on oversubscribed crowdfunding round, the company raised the maximum permitted in a 12-month window at the time, with over 2,000 investors.[7] Vampr would also be the first company in the world to offer investors an NFT as a perk in a Reg CF funding round.[8]
The company later launched Vampr Publishing in 2020, a free music sync representation solution for all users, in addition to Vampr Distribution, a tiered music distribution solution which also comes bundled with the premium Vampr Pro subscription service.[9]
In September 2021, the company announced a milestone of one million users.[10]
In March 2022, with over 7 million professional connections brokered on the platform worldwide, Fast Company inducted Vampr into their Most Innovative Companies list.[11] Later that year Google Play would spotlight Vampr in their Top 150 apps in the United States.[12]
In April 2022, the company launched Vampr Academy, an edtech streaming solution for artists, allowing users to watch video lessons taught by industry experts.[13] In November 2022, the company announced a strategic investment from Downtown Music which coincided with the launch of Vampr Marketing, a promotional advertising solution which enables artists to drive traffic to their music releases on premium websites such as Billboard, Forbes, GQ Magazine and Rolling Stone.[14]
In February 2023, it was announced Vampr had been acquired by the Sydney-headquartered music credits database, Jaxsta,[15] later rebranded as Vinyl Group.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Vampr Inc". Google Play. May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ Collie, Ashley Jude (May 3, 2017). "For Former Busker Ed Sheeran and for Other Undiscovered/Unsigned Musicians Today, It's Still About Social Networking & Connecting". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ Moran, Jonathon (October 4, 2016). "Barry Palmer teams with Buchanan Band's Josh Simons to set up an online app for musicians". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ Bailey, Michael (December 13, 2016). "VAMPR, GiggedIn, Ticket Squad raise as music streaming boom flows to start-ups". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Best of 2017 - App Store". Apple Inc. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ McAlister, Elaine (September 4, 2019). "Vampr CEO: "Everyone Wants to Know Why We Didn't Go to VCs"". Digital Music News. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "Vampr announces further US$790k in funding, looking at livestreaming". The Music Network. February 24, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Jessel (November 5, 2021). "Vampr, The Leading Professional Network For Musicians And Artists, Surpasses Half A Million Dollars In Its Groundbreaking Equity Crowdfunding Campaign". Tech Times. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Reuter, Annie (July 24, 2020). "Vampr To Further Aid In Music Discovery And Connection With New Pro Service". Forbes. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ Paine, Andre (September 6, 2021). "Vampr passes one million users and confirms Q4 funding round". Music Week. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Ifeanyi, KC (March 8, 2022). "The 10 most innovative music companies of 2022". Fast Company. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "#WeArePlay". Google. June 29, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Burke, Ian (April 28, 2022). "What is Vampr, the LinkedIn of the Music Industry?". Vice Media. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Dalugdug, Mandy (November 17, 2022). "Downtown Makes Strategic Investment in 'LinkedIn for Creatives' Vampr". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (February 22, 2023). "Music Industry Moves". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "Music Credits Company Jaxsta Rebrands as Vinyl Group" (Press release). Vinyl Group. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-29 – via Music Business Worldwide.