Recording - July 2017 - 14

welcome to

A tour of the Chicago-based
gear marketplace yields
fascinating insights
interviews by paul vnuk jr.

if you're a gear nut, then you've probably

heard about Reverb (reverb.com). If you haven't, or even if you
have but still aren't sure what it is, Reverb launched in 2013 as
a marketplace for musical instruments and pro audio gear. Its
twist is that Reverb's inventory is supplied by you and me, as
well as a host of retailers nationwide. If you are thinking, "Okay,
so... a musician-specific Ebay?", you could not be more wrong.
There are great online and brick-and-mortar retailers out there
that offer caring customer service and a rich buying/education
experience, really earning the loyalty of their buyers... but
they're nowhere near as common as they should be, and they
don't always have precisely the gear you need. Reverb offers an
alternative to hunting around through sketchy auction sites and
no-name sellers by bringing lots of people together in one place
and creating a framework that promotes engagement, fun, and
the safety of buyers and sellers alike.
To learn how Reverb stands out from the pack, Recording took
a trip to the company's headquarters in Chicago to get the inside
scoop. While there, I got the full tour of the company's new
multi-level digs, complete with a video studio. Walls are lined
with gear, just like a retail store's... but most of it belongs to the
employees, who also have copious numbers of instruments and
musical "toys" on their desks. Is your day job that cool?
I got to meet and chat with a number of Reverb staffers, whom
I'd like to thank for their time. The list includes Reverb's CEO and
Founder David Kalt, Director of Marketing Dan Abel, Director
of Content Dan Orkin, Chief Operating Officer Dan Melnick,
Director of Customer Engagement Chris Miller, and Director of
Digital Justin Delay. They all shared their perspectives of the
company and offered great insight into what makes Reverb both
unique and successful.

an online musician community

More than a website, Reverb strives to be a complete online
community and destination for gear needs, techniques, dreaming, and more. Once you get past the rabbit hole of virtual window-shopping (which can easily and pleasantly steal hours of
your time), you can set up your own account, where you can
purchase items with the simple click of a button or list items to sell
just as easily. If an item costs more than you would like to spend,
many sellers allow you to make offers and virtually haggle back
and forth via onsite messaging. From opening an account to setting
up your own storefront or just making purchases, all aspects of
the Reverb process are logical, streamlined and simple.
Beyond that, there are many things that set Reverb apart
from Ebay, Craigslist, and even Facebook selling. These include
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RECORDING July 2017

customer service, education, digital infrastructure, and an
easy-to-understand financial model for sellers.

customer engagement

Rather than "customer service", Reverb prefers the term "customer
engagement". Chris Miller runs a team of over 35 employees
that you can chat with online or by phone... and they all love to
talk about gear. In Chris' words, "You go to a website built by
musicians, staffed by musicians, and you get to talk to musicians."
I was surprised when Chris told me just how much personal
interaction Reverb provides on a daily basis. "People come to
chat because they view us as an authority. We've built this place
where you can ask questions and voice opinions to someone
who's built up a bit of credibility. 20-30% of the customers who
call us up haven't bought anything recently or aren't currently
looking at a listing. They just want to know what a particular
item is worth, or ask general questions... the fact that we talk with
them and help them is one of our most powerful marketing tools."
Speaking as an ex-music store retail manager myself, a
strength of Reverb is that unlike a traditional music store, where
an employee naturally pushes the lines which that store sells,
Reverb employees have "no dog in the fight" and can help steer
you toward your needs based simply on those needs and what
is available online. Employees don't work on commission, so
there's no hard sell either.

personalization

COO Dan Melnick points out that one of his favorite parts of the
Reverb experience is "personalization", which relies heavily on
advanced Machine Learning that tackles how gear is categorized
and sorted, helping determine what shows up on your digital
doorstep. His take is, "Buying gear is like matchmaking and
dating; it's very personal... people have their own likes and dislikes,
their own wants and needs. When something new shows up on
the site that matches your interests, we want to make sure that
we can put it in front of you right away, based on your [browsing]
behavior, which we do via our emails."

http://www.reverb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - July 2017