Aviv Grill, a Miso Music entrepreneur, appeared on episode 309 of Shark Tank with his well-funded and creative iPad app under the company Miso Media. The Miso Music Application allows users to learn how to play the guitar or stringed instruments on an iPad. Grill and Miso Media’s board of directors had raised $3 million in investment, including $600K from the world-recognized Google Ventures, before being featured on Shark Tank.
“Guitar Hero with real notes, real instruments, and genuine learning,” says Grill while describing the Miso Music App. Aviv showed the Sharks how to use the app, but to further convey its capabilities, he had artist Ingrid Michaelson use an iPad.
What is Miso Music?
Miso Music offers an excellent platform for people to learn how to play instruments. It is essentially a music education platform where users can learn how to play instruments (string instruments only). All users need to do is download the app, connect to an instrument, and learn through a step-by-step process. Unlike older versions like Guitar Hero, you can learn to play a real instrument.
Since Aviv Grill’s mother was an opera singer and his father was a sound engineer, he had a good background in music.
Miso Music on Shark Tank
Aviv entered the Shark Tank looking to raise $300k for a 5% stake in Miso Media, the parent business of Miso Music and an educational software maker. Grill described the app’s advantages, while Ingrid Michaelson dazzled the Sharks with great musical prowess.
The app’s main goal was to teach people what to do with string instruments. It came with an adapter cord so users could use it while their instrument was connected to their iPad! About 80,000 people had downloaded the Miso Music Application for free as of the recording. Utilizing the application as a channel for selling sheet music was the “big play.”
Daymond declined because he believed Aviv wasn’t interested in making a deal. Barbara was also out since she didn’t t like investing in apps. For 3.33 percent, Mr. Wonderful provided $100k and encouraged some other Sharks to join him by investing the remaining money. Aviv replied with 7 percent when Robert proposed $300K for 10%, and Robert exited the conversation. Mark offered $300K for 8% after some haggling. Marks refused to include Mr. Wonderful in the contract since he didn’t really need him. Aviv and Mark agreed on it.
Viewers liked the Miso Music presentation so much that their website froze after it ran! Aviv tweeted once everything was up and running again that Miso Music had overtaken Angry Birds on the iTunes top 10 lists. Since the show, Miso Media released its much-awaited sheet music app and an app for tuning instruments. An iPic was also offered with the adaptor connected to enable “picking” on the iPad simpler. Entrepreneur Magazine designated the business as one of the “Top 100 Brilliant Companies,” and Forbes Magazine named Joselle Ho among the top 10 female tech entrepreneurs. There is no doubt that Miso Music under Miso Media was headed on the right path!
Sadly, the company shut down after roughly a year. Customer acquisition was Miso Music’s downfall since they never generated enough sheet music sales to turn a profit on the application.
Our Review of Miso Music
Miso Music was a revelation for the Shark Tank judges because it was a small startup with a proper structure and business plan. With investments from big names like Google Ventures, it was sure to work out, which is why the judges couldn’t let it go without offering a deal.
Pros
The application was essentially a virtual teacher for string instruments like the guitar. Unlike older apps, it allowed users to play real instruments and learn from anywhere in the world. The app was designed to listen to the notes you were playing and slowly advance the music and notes on the screen until you rocked your instrument.
The application offered many lessons, songs, and scales that you could practice. It was pretty easy to use; all you had to do was select a lesson and connect your instrument, and it displayed TAB music sheets. It offered easy finger solutions for every chord and note that helped users learn easily.
The app supported several instruments like the guitar, banjo, ukulele, and more.
Cons
The application had in-app purchases and wasn’t free to use later on. Some people also complained about audio detection bugs where the application would register a note more than a few times, which caused it to skip some notes. Some users also had to continuously adjust threshold settings since the app wouldn’t detect all the notes properly. Hence, there was a bit of a learning curve when it came to the app.
Alternatives to Miso Music
Some easy-to-use alternatives to Miso Music include Sheet Music HD, Sheet Music Plus, and Perfect Piano, where users can learn virtually.
Who Is Miso Music for?
The Miso Music app by Miso Media is a great platform for beginners who want to start learning at home. You can learn real instruments in real-time with your virtual teacher.
Final Thoughts
Miso Music definitely simplified the process of learning string instruments. If you choose to opt for YouTube videos, you will never know the mistakes you might be making. Since the Miso app could hear your notes in real-time, allowing you to correct your mistakes while learning. The simplified step-by-step guide that Miso offered was certainly very helpful when learning a new instrument.