D.I.Y.

Nimbit Launches Facebook Artist Commerce Platform

Nimbit mystore_home_ad

Music commerce services provider Nimbit has launched launched Nimbit MyStore for Facebook, which the company says is the first direct to fan social commerce solution.

Previously, fans on Facebook who wanted to purchase music or merchandise from an artist would be re-directed to a third party site like iTunes, and artists had no way to to track the purchase. Plus as Nimbit co-founder Phil Antoniades states, "People don’t spend three hours a day watching their iTunes application window…the power of friends watching other friends shop and purchase provides a new level of viral recommendation to a connected, like-minded network.”

With Nimbit MyStore for Facebook, fans don't leave the artist’s Facebook page enabling higher artist profit margins, capture of fan information and more control over the artist's brand. Every interaction with MyStore (comment, recommend, play, share, buy) is shared with that fan’s social network. Artists can also sell pre-releases to their Facebook fans and enlist them in generating buzz. All sales are tracked in real-time and get reported to SoundScan. 

Nimbit MyStore features include:

  • Facebook is a known user experience
  • Sales directly on Facebook through a single shopping cart accepting all credit cards and PayPal
  • Sale of digital tracks and albums, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, posters, other merchandise, eTickets, and download cards
  • Post and promote new releases, shows and tours
  • Create and sell targeted promotions and custom packages based on fan buying behaviors. 
  • Installs quickly (video tutorial below) 
  • Physical warehousing and fulfillment
  • Changes in content or catalog is automatically updated on Facebook
  • Sales analytics
300 Facebook Stores At Launch

At launch, more than 300 artists are live with Nimbit MyStore on Facebook including developing artists like Chase Coy and Bang Camaro and established acts like The Alan Parsons Project and Tom Rush.  “Nimbit has really done a fantastic job with Nimbit MyStore for Facebook,”  said Dan Beach of Studio 8H.  “We've set it up for my client, Tom Rush, and expect to add it to other client Facebook pages as well. This is by far the best application of its type I've seen.”

“Nimbit MyStore for Facebook merges the best of social networking has to offer with Nimbit’s Direct-to-Fan music business platform used today by thousands of artists,” said Patrick Faucher, Nimbit’s Chief Artist Advocate and CEO. “We’ve integrated deeply into the social fabric of Facebook so artists can market and sell to their fans in a completely natural and seamless way.”

Bruce Houghton on 09/08/2009 in D.I.Y. | Permalink | Comments (20)
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20 Comments

  2. Congratulations to Nimbit for expanding the direct to fan business with some pretty cool tools. However, I’d like to clarify a point made here, and give my thoughts.
    “the first direct to fan social commerce solution” – Musictoday released “Musicshop” a Facebook e-commerce app nearly two years ago that allows fans to purchase music and merch from within the Facebook platform. See: http://bit.ly/RiM8w
    Artists like John Mayer continue to use this app: http://bit.ly/49GqpS
    While the future of music e-commerce may happen directly on social networks, that’s not the case today. Our analytics tell us that when given a choice a fan would prefer to complete a purchase outside of the social network platform in an official “store” environment. That’s why we’re moving away from the Musicshop app and toward a new app that simply displays new products in a custom “store” tab on an artist page, linking into the store to complete purchase.
    See this app live on Jay-Z’s page: http://bit.ly/XsLI8
    Again, it’s great to see the direct to fan industry continue to expand. Best of luck to Nimbit.
    Questions on these apps feel free to contact me: kyle.babson@musictoday.com

  3. Could Nimbit have picked a more lethargic boring dude to narate this promo video? Really makes you want to rush to sign-up… hit the snooze button on this one – iTunes is all you need.

  4. All the good pitch men are either dead or in jail for punching out hookers who bit their tongue.

  5. Kyle;
    As a new media biz dev guy who lives in Charlottesville VA and has reached out to Music Today several times without success regarding the promotion of acts or partnering over the past couple of years, I can only hope that Nimbit is more responsive than you guys. Most of the acts Nimbit are servicing would likely be unsuccessful getting a return call or email from Music Today. Perhaps that’s why no one is touting your Musicshop, or even remembers it.
    And frankly, data is all about context. Facebook is only now beginning to get their act together with music. Two years ago everyone was all about Facebook, and Snocap, so contextually speaking, your data about consumers wanting to buy from a store is relevant only if someone wants to know why YOUR direct to fan offering didn’t work on FB when the predominant social network was Myspace.
    Music will increasingly sell closer to where people are congregating, discussing, sharing and listening to it. Driving people to a store is an old school strategy that is a good strategy to keep Music Today in the control loop building stores for artists – but there is 0.0 imagination behind this strategy. Driving people back to a store site that you maintain is SO 2002. It’s a control strategy and any MBA twit can dice and slice data to support your argument, but it is not where the business is heading.
    Engagement commerce – whether it is between artist and fan, or fan to fan, is the future of the music business. Expecting consumers to go to your destination is thinking like a chain retail store. Tune in and turn on, man.
    If I have it all wrong and your direct to fan plans are now more Luke than Darth, by all means, please elaborate further.

  6. Correction: “Two years ago everyone was all about Facebook”
    I meant to say “all about Myspace”, obviously.

  7. Big yawn. Nimbit is about to evaporate anyhow, alongside Music today. Fans don’t pay for music, they pay for the experience. Wake up.

  8. I love comments like these because they make the fact that Nimbit is growing over 100% annually even sweeter. The old model IS evaporating, which is why Nimbit is growing.
    Here’s a headline: “Nimbit’s revenue continues to grow because fans actually DO want to support artists by buying from them.”
    And it’s not just about them buying music, in case you missed that point. It’s about fans getting EVERYTHING they are interested in about the artist, right where they are discovering/interacting.
    Because we are delivering entire catalogs of product instantly to a single storefront within the context of Facebook, we have artists that are increase sales 300% from previous months, JUST THROUGH FACEBOOK.
    These are the FACTS that people like Duke need to wake up to.

  9. old record guy I like your concept of ‘Engagement commerce’ is intriguing as I was down the route of discovery commerce through engaging , interacting fans, customers, people(!) discover things of interest about one another – discovery commerce is perhaps another way or recommending or following either way the stuff comes to you attached to someone you know or trust.
    Just like in the old times news come to you, you didn’t go to it….the stuff you like comes to you…it’s there for you to discover…discovery commerce – this is why what Nimbits is doing is so exciting is the future of commerce…. I wish them success!

  10. Patrick – you guys need to crank up your artist marketing efforts and clearly highlight your market differentiators – not everyone can be Ian Rogers but no one is going to “wake up” or understand what Nimbit is about unless you promote & inform. There are too many options available to artists and it’s very challenging to figure out which has merit, how much they charge for their services, and most importantly, if they have the funding to ensure they’ll be around in a couple of years.

  11. I agree. Crank up your marketing efforts. You guys used to do some great marketing…
    Honestly though – I’d be interested to know the breakdown of an artist’s digital sales on the various platforms. While Facebook is more “in their face” on a consistent basis, how does it translate to sales. The things that’re good, better, or more profitable often simply aren’t interesting to the consumer, and the road to sales hell ends up paved with lovely Facebook apps.
    So ultimately, any criticism should be held ’til the numbers come back. Then heap praise or throw stones — whichever fits the bill.
    (www.scottfeldman.net)

  12. Old Record Guy –
    I’d be happy to chat with you. Shoot me an email will you?
    I agree with some of your points. I think on others you may be misunderstanding.
    Thanks.

  13. the future is not “what it used to be”…. when people wake up to that they will make the right choice in terms of who they partner with to sell their music. i flirted with them all and have – on the strength of this brilliant facebook app – come back home to partner with nimbit… returning in shame like the prodigal son…. because they are the most progressive and in-tune with artists requirements than all the others. i love bandcamp, but i believe they can be used in tandem for different purposes, but as an overall solution i cant fault nimbit anymore so i am signing up today!!!!
    facebook is the future – like it or not – for ALL social interaction on the web and in the distant future that will mean much more than the obvious but thats another topic too… so the best app integrating with FB will win… simple as that. Nimbit have done that.
    I love the phrase “engagement commerce” by the old record guy. as succinct as you can get in explaining the future of music.
    the key to nimbits success is their continued quest to innovate… that will serve them well and so they will avoid the graveyard filled with the snocaps etc of this world. the companies who’s tombs are enshrined with murals of their famous pitches, hopes and promises, yet reading eulogies of failed – though valiant mind you – attempts to fullfil these.
    good luck nimbit and keep innovating! u r breaking away from the comp at this point in time with this app… interesting to see how the competitors respond though….

  15. “facebook is the future – like it or not – for ALL social interaction on the web and in the distant future that will mean much more than the obvious but thats another topic too…”
    2 years ago people were saying this about Myspace.
    History has shown that it is massively naive to believe that any one social network will own the space, or even maintain dominance over any extended period of time.

  16. Hey Old Record Guy,
    I’m glad to see you’re excited about our new facebook app! Give us a call or shoot us an email with any questions.
    I just finished this video demo of the mystore app, check it out! http://bit.ly/2Vcd4c
    Dave Coffin
    Manager, Online Sales and Distribution
    Nimbit

  18. “2 years ago people were saying this about Myspace”
    but not all of us believed that my good sir… to the lay people who werent part of the know, myspace gathered people around music and while that worked it was great. but that gift became the curse of myspace because people wanted to gather around people first and foremost. the music etc was a nice to have, not a necessity. facebook presented this opportunity in a very vanilla flavoured context, so the focus was the social interaction, ie the contet user submitted revolving around their lives etc but not necessarily music related etc. think about it… for the largest part – and still now i believe – facebook has not had a straight story re music etc (iLike is like a filling meal that doesnt necessarily taste nice but does the job). Yet people still flocked there. people are drawn to people. facebook understood that. so they focused on people. on the user experience as it would appeal to all people. so what we saw was a people gathering together to engage in a safe, tidy, and user friendly environment. the wisdom myspace overlooked in their glory days was quite simple actually – as are all riddles after you see the answer – keep the presentation simple, the functionality intuitive and do not appeal to one demographic only. myspace always seemd for the young only. also myspace in the last months before facebook really took off – say 2.2-2.5 yrs ago, seemed to be making headlines regarding their desire to monetize and how to exploit the user experience more to monetize etc…. had they focused their energies then on the user experience and not monetization prematurely they may have performed better against facebook in the months following… so here came facebook with a simple, intuitive, well presented site and before you know it, they have more users.
    but essentially i agree with you that it is naive to assume anyone will hold onto anything forever, but i guess what i meant to say was that facebook will be the standard for longer than any other before it. i believe this because it has such a solid foundation that is so intrinsically embedded into the social interaction of people across all demographics – i mean its now so ridiculously tied into our everyday lives that you are likely to miss a funeral if its not a facebook event!!! anything that will overthrow facebook will need to really come up with something so mindblowing that i cant see it happening…. anyway, these are just my thoughts. im sure some agree, im sure some disagree…
    in conclusion, musicians follow people. once they have a big enough loyal fanbase, the people start to follow the musicians…. but initially, where the people gather, there also like carrion fowl gather the musicians hoping to affiance an audience… if the people are now on facebook, then thats where any ecommerce platform for the purchase of music will do well to be firmly housed…. i belive nimbit have done this, or at least have to date given it the best shot of all the similar apps attempting thus far. facebook, were they to build a music ecommerce app could not have done better themselves 😉

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