Etsy Sells Reverb: What Its Return to Independence Means for the Music Gear Community
Six years after being acquired by Etsy, the online music gear marketplace Reverb is changing hands once again. The platform will return to independent ownership under two music-focused investors: Creator Partners and Servco.
Creator Partners is an investment company with ties to BMI, Soundcloud, and Mogul. Servco, meanwhile, has a long history with Fender as both a dealer and investor. Together, they’ve entered into an agreement to purchase Reverb from Etsy, ushering in a new chapter for the platform.
“Creator Partners and Servco share our passion for the musical instruments industry and a community-first approach, plus a deep desire to strengthen creative industries,” said David Mandelbrot, CEO at Reverb. “The musicians, shops, and brands who use Reverb have always been at the center of all that we do, and these two partners will help us support our music-making community in new and better ways.”
Once the deal is complete, Reverb will again be an independent business. Mandelbrot says that Reverb users won’t notice any disruption in the service. Instead, they can expect positive changes coming soon.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting changes in the works. We’re expanding access to music-making software on Reverb and we’re getting ready to pilot a new option for selling that allows musicians to get paid faster, while skipping the listing and shipping process. Our teams are working on improving our search functionality, making it easier to ship, and shortening the time it takes to resolve support issues,” said Mandelbrot. “All and all, there’s a lot for our community to look forward to and I’m very excited about what’s coming as we move forward as an independent company again.”
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
