Sparkplug Launches – New Sharing Economy Marketplace for Musicians, Audio Pros
Will this development spark a disruption on how musicians and audio pros rent instruments, space and gear?
Sparkplug has officially arrived — a new way to share and locate musical tools.
The New York City-based tech startup Sparkplug has launched, creating an innovative online community marketplace specifically for musicians and artists to share their creative tools and resources.
Sparkplug connects musicians all over the world, allowing them to easily rent instruments, equipment, and space to each other. The platform was founded by Julia Wilde, Charles Ridley, Jennifer Newman Sharpe, and Jonathan Eshak, with the objective of connecting musicians and artists so they can harness their untapped inventory of instruments, equipment, and studio space, and make them available through the power of the sharing economy.
Sparkplug sports an attractive, easy-to-user interface, and a recent visit by SonicScoop revealed a wide range of musical equipment and studio gear, in multiple cities. Fender amps, audio/video production suites, a SoundCraft console, a Canopus jazz drum kit, Neumann TLM 103 microphone, and even a Fox Renard 240 Bassoon, plus much more were all available for low rental rates.
“We believe it should be simpler and more affordable for people to create and perform, whether they are touring, making a record, or just testing out a new sound,” Wilde says. “By establishing a transparent platform where artists source needs based on things like specs, price, and location, Sparkplug helps them find the tools they need to unleash their creative genius. And by generating an additional revenue opportunity for those that wish to share their instruments, gear, and space, we’re supporting creators from within their own community.”
New York City is the focus of Sparkplug’s initial rollout. “At Sparkplug, we’re creating a global community by harnessing untapped inventory from musicians all over the world,” Wilde explains. “At the moment, our members can create a listing anywhere in the United States, and we’re actively spreading the word from New York to Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, and Chicago – some of the most vibrant music cities in the North America. We have been thrilled to see how our community has grown in New York in just the last month.
“The sharing economy is driving connections around the world as people more effectively use and monetize their resources through sites like Airbnb, Uber, and TaskRabbit. We see an opportunity to connect and empower the creative community through this incredible new paradigm.”
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DPrty
July 17, 2014 at 3:47 pm (10 years ago)Do they also offer insurance on the rented gear. Sparkplug will probably not become mainstream if that’s not the case.
juliawilde
July 18, 2014 at 1:12 pm (10 years ago)Hey @DPrty:disqus – This is Julia from Sparkplug. Thanks for reading about us! When creating a listing, we require our owners to set a deposit amount reflective of their gear’s value. Once a reservation is confirmed, we take 30% of that deposit from the renter’s credit card and hold it until 24 hours after the successful completion of the rental. In the event that anything goes wrong, we deduct repair amounts from that held money, and we also retain the right to bill the renter up to the entire deposit amount if necessary.
We are very aware that our our members’ instruments, equipment, and space are both valuable assets and prized possessions, and we understand that our greatest responsibility is to protect them. So we also emphasize transparency at every step with things like condition notes, photos, and user feedback to encourage thoughtful member behavior. If you have any further questions or thoughts, I’d love to hear them. Please reach out anytime to julia@sparkplug.it
Drew Nevins
May 18, 2015 at 6:16 pm (10 years ago)What’s their funding look like? Bootstrapped? Investors? Expansion plans? Can artists upload high quality sound files of what their instrument or system sounds like, in order to give renters an idea of what they’re renting sounds like? Videos? How will the rating and review system work? Are there “recommended” prices for certain items, or can users charge whatever they want?
How will this service make money – by appealing to users, or to promoters, or both?