Singerfy’s is one of the most curious initiatives on the Spanish scene in recent years: a project based on bringing the composition of personalized songs closer to the general public. Now, more than two years after the birth of the original idea, and after the boost received by the Singerfy acceleration program, it is positioned in the market as a more than real alternative so that all types of users can get . To analyze a little more in detail the evolution of the project and its future plans, we have spoken with CEO of Singerfy.
Interview with Javier Lozano, CEO of Singerfy
An eCommerce of personalized songs: How did you come up with the idea?
It all started when I was introduced to Daniel Martin, the now partner and Project Manager of Singerfy. He had already been composing and producing personalized songs on the Internet for some time and the feedback from the public was really impressive, but he was within the reach of few people because the price was more than 250 euros and it was also difficult to scale, as he spent most of his time in the production and creation of each song.
I had just left another project and I proposed to create an ecommerce to democratize the concept so that anyone, for 49 euros, You could easily create your own personalized song and have it recorded by a professional singer to make an emotional gift, one of those gifts that leave their mark and are always remembered. In addition, we also give the extra option of presenting the personalized song with a video montage with photos and/or videos, which is even more impressive.
How was the process of creating the startup? What kind of difficulties did you encounter along the way?
In January 2016 we set up an ecommerce of customizable songs designed according to the different reasons for gifts (anniversaries, birthdays, special dates, births, weddings,…), which started out as I give you a songand under the methodology , without looking excessively at the design and with few songs, we launched the online store on the market. From the beginning we started billing, and above all, what encouraged us to continue growing was the brutal response from our clients who were truly delighted with the result and the experience.
Difficulties, the typical but real ones, such as finding equipment, publicizing a product that is not yet in the minds of users when they have to make a gift, and financing.
What I would like to highlight is the difficulty is the one that comes to you from the Administration and that politicians would have to change. If it is already difficult to undertake and bet on something you believe in, which also, if it goes well, can generate wealth and employment, it is really incomprehensible that they do not facilitate the beginnings of the self-employed (90% of startups).
We are talking about almost 600 euros per month from the two founding partners going to Social Security. That has forced us to be months without being able to collect practically anything for our work and it was frustrating. In other countries they do not pay until the companies begin to invoice a minimum and that allows more entrepreneurs and companies to survive and sustain the economy.
What advice would you give the Javier Lozano who launched Singerfy if you could go back in time?
Everything that has to do with mentoring programs, startup incubators or accelerators, the sooner the better… you gain in perspective, security and fewer mistakes are made.
Your startup participates in the Connector acceleration program: How important has it been for you to have the support of Connector and its mentors?
For us has been essential. I think we entered the moment in which we could get the most out of it, with a validated model, with billing and with a team. We lacked strategy and we are learning a lot to be able to scale and internationalize the project. We have connected great with our mentors and, although they give us a hard time, we are enjoying it because things are coming out. Also you learn a lot from the other accelerated startupsI would say that this is one of the keys to acceleration.
How are your clients? What kind of songs are the most requested?
It depends on the reason for the gift, but usually they are customers who have given everything and who are looking for a different and emotional gift, between the ages of 30 and 45, and they give it away in a very similar way, both them and them.
The most requested songs are those of love, but the truth is that we have more and more requests for different reasons because people do not think that they can give a personalized lullaby for a birth, or a song for a retirement or for your children’s school teacher or for a communion…
What is the song creation process like? How long does it take from when you receive an order until you deliver it finished?
You access singerfy.com and, depending on the reason for your gift, you will find different song proposals that you can easily customize for a professional singer to record for you. Personalization is done in 3 steps: selecting whether your song will be recorded by a professional male or female singer, the musical style and intuitively personalizing the lyrics of your song thanks to a system of drop-downs, help and little boxes”. You can also present your song with a video montage with photos, video clips and/or a dedication.
Your song and/or video montage You will receive it in a maximum of 5 days in your email.
How many clients did you have in 2017? What is your goal for this year?
In 2017 we practically doubled the turnover obtained in 2016. We have managed to sell more than 1,400 songs both in Spain and in LATAM. The goal for this year is ambitious because we are setting up a national and international growth model that we will present to investors very soon and that will allow us to sell thousands of songs.
Let’s do a bit of futurology, what headline about Singerfy would you like to read in Marketing4eCommerce in a year?
Singerfy is among the 8 most promising startups in Spain for 2019.
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