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MixAlbum.com
Mix your own dance music website
Business description
Mixalbum.com, the first website launched by Ian after appearing on Dragons’ Den is a music download website with a difference – it’s powered by the world’s first automated DJ using a patented music mixing system. You simply choose your favourite dance tracks (they’re all on there) and the automated DJ mixes them for you, at the click of a button.
In common with all the other music download sites out there, you simply pay for downloading each track you choose. The bonus at Mixalbum.com is that you also get your tracks professionally mixed together so each track seamlessly blends into the next. So, rather than having to buy premixed Cd’s which include tracks you don’t want, at Mixalbum.com you can easily mix your own favourite dance music tracks a la Sasha, John Digweed, Pete Tong (or whoever)!
Pitcher
Ian Chamings
Series 3
Investors
Deborah Meaden
Theo Paphitis
£’s invested
£150,000
% stake in business
20%
Deborah's reasons for investing
Ian’s training as a patent lawyer gave him a discipline, he was logical, held his ground and didn’t fall to pieces when the technology failed him momentarily. I saw that he had identified a niche in the market and felt he was a ‘doer’. That combination was, for me, spot on.
What’s happened since they appeared in the Den?
When Ian Chamings entered the Den in 2006, Deborah and fellow dragon Theo Paphitis invested in MixAlbum.com and the technology behind it; the world's only fully automated mixer, developed and patented by Ian.
Since appearing in the Den Mixalbum has changed immeasurably. From the outset the website had to be developed, a brand created and marketing undertaken. With Deborah and Theo onboard doors opened and deals were signed with major record labels such as Sony BMG, EMI and Ministry of Sound, and the service went live in August 2007.
Aimed at customers who buy dance compilations, MixAlbum struggled to get a hold on the market, partly due to the big names already established, and because by that time many potential customers instead preferred to download music illegally for free!
However, it turns out that the mixing system is perfect for fitness instructors as they can choose which tracks they want, at the speeds they like and it's mixed continuously, which is exactly what instructors need for their classes.After a few meetings with fitness professionals the scope of the market became clear, and within a couple of months a licensing deal was struck with Power Music Inc, the world's largest provider of fitness music. Thanks to this new market, MixAlbum in all it's guises is forecast to sell over 500,000 tracks this year.
Latest update from Ian
After the Den I kept getting emails from aerobics instructors, asking if they could use MixAlbum and suggesting small changes which would be really useful to them. I thought, how many aerobics instructors are there, it can't be that big a market? How wrong I was!
Clickmix.com is the name of the first fitness site running the mixer - we had 80,000 customers signed up within three months of the site launching. ClickMix.com uses Mixalbum technology to allow presenters and aerobics instructors to create mixes for their fitness classes. Clickmix sells 'workout mixes' of popular tracks but a new site, to be launched in September 2009, FitMixPro.com, will supply the original artist tracks.
We've also found that a lot of our Mixalbum customers are using the site to create mixes that they listen to whilst running. Customers can choose the speed and length of their mix which makes it perfect for this application, so a fitness-focused version of the site for personal workouts will be launched shortly. Other projects in the pipeline include an iPhone mixing application.
For more information visit any of the sites: MixAlbum.com , Clickmix.com or FitMixPro.com
Contact details
01805 625452
Higher House Productions Ltd,Suite 1,Higher House,Kingscott,Torrington,Devon EX38 7JJ
