A vinyl record chiming through a beautiful piece of gramophone… Ahh! There is something so magical about it, isn’t it! For most of us vintage folks, music never sounded so good through any modern age device. But, unfortunate, getting your hands on vinyl records of your favorite music is like searching for a unicorn. Even if you do spot one on eBay or Amazon, it is either a little too steep for your budget or just not what you were looking for.
Well ladies and gentlemen! To solve this very problem, we introduce you to LP Marketplace! It is a one stop shop to buy and sell vinyl records. This website offers buyers and sellers an amazing platform wherein they can connect and transact. Yes it is that simple!
Meet The Power Duo Behind It All!
LP Marketplace is the brainchild of co-founders Garrett Galayda and Dan Sosedoff.
They are a team of designers and developers who were building websites for other startups including the initial launch of another music site by the name of reverb.com while still working at their day jobs at doejo.com.
“With regards to vinyl, we’re still learning and growing with all the other newcomers out there. It’s a great time for music and vinyl records. We’ve met a ton of knowledgable people in the community that have given us some great stories and advice along the way”, says the duo.
Know More About This Unique Marketplace!
LP Marketplace is like eBay but exclusively for vinyl records. This site offers the lowest transaction fees (4%) in the business and a smarter interface for buyers and sellers.
One will be surprised to know that there are many amazing sellers buried in random results that just aren’t getting their product noticed. Small sites get muscled out of search results by Amazon and the general difficulty for any small business (like a record store) really makes it hard for buyers to find what they want in the end. That’s why LP Marketplace is here to show HONEST search results on a platform that allows for easy uploading of products at a competitive price.
What Inspired It All?
Digging for records is hard, especially if you are just getting started. The team found it difficult at times to find vinyl pressings of their favorite albums. In their search, they often stumbled upon sites that were made over 10 years ago, had many broken links and that still featured sold out items.
“One of our favorite vendors has some great titles that would normally go unnoticed on their current site. We found this to be the case for many of our favorite local shops. They just don’t have the time to build a better site. We didn’t like the idea that as buyers we couldn’t find the records we were digging for because of a technology barrier that we knew we could solve for these small business owners”, says the team.
On Challenges Faced & Contenders!
For the team, building a business model, coding and solving UX was nothing new. However, their greatest difficulties were all centered on business management and what happens after the launch of the product. Apart from this, the real dreaded hurdle for the team had more to do with the day to day ‘not so sexy’ stuff and paperwork that had to be done. Further, in terms of competition, Discogs, eBay and Amazon pose as potential competitors.
On Expansion Plans & Target Audience!
“2015 is slow and steady. Just like growth of vinyl sales we’re hoping to build a solid small business to support ourselves. Also, if you are looking for a record, you’re going to find it wherever you can get it and fight through whatever interface comes your way. We want to be on that list of places you search for first and hopefully find what you are looking for”, says the team.
At the moment, LP Marketplace is mainly targeted at collectors of all levels of interest such as Pro sellers, crate diggers, aficionados and newcomers.
The Monetizing Model!
The team’s plan on monetizing is to sell, sell and sell. Presently, they are averaging about $1 a transaction.
“We’re looking to gain more sellers and gain more buyers. Our competitors boasted 12,000 music items sold a day in 2013 (half their inventory is vinyl). So there is definitely room for growth for us. We’re going to focus on things they can’t. Margins for sellers, communication between buyer and seller, ease of uploading, better search results”, further adds the duo.
To perfectly sum it up, if you are someone who loves collect vinyl records, then LP Marketplace is your online store.
For more information on the app, do visit: lpmarketplace.com
