What it does
Music stores abound on the web and big players like iTunes already dominate the space and leave little room for the small guys. Calabash is attempting to exploit one of the small spaces left by the “big guys”, which is the world music niche. Calabash is 100% devoted to offering the best and most original music content on the web and doesn’t even bother offering big ticket items as it correctly assumes that competing with iTunes is not worth the time. What it does very well is offer an incredibly diverse array of original music content from bands stretching the globe, allowing users to search by region or genre. Calabash is also part social network and it has considerable free content that allows artist’s to share their work with other members without having to buy. Lastly, Calabash is fair to the artist and 50% of the ticket price goes directly to them.
In their own words
“Want to connect with great musicians and music lovers from around the globe? Love to discover new music from everywhere? With an international gathering of musicians and music fans, we're is here to help guide, and be guided by, your musical tastes. With your help we're developing the ultimate global music network and a true social music marketplace where musicians and fans connect and share their music passions.”
Why it might be a killer
This is a relatively unexposed niche and Calabash has put together an attractive offering that should become very popular amongst those who are tired of the mainstream. Pricing is reasonable and the addition of widgets for limited free song sharing will help to stimulate viral growth.
Some questions
Will there be enough interest in the countries that actually pay to download music to make Calabash float? The US market is one of the few that actually pay for downloads but will this audience switch from iTunes to Calabash when looking to buy music?
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