Turntable.fm Raises $7.5M: The Virtual Dance Party Returns

The Revival of Turntable.fm

Billy Chasen, the founder of Turntable.fm, reintroduced the platform earlier this year, responding to a renewed interest sparked by the pandemic. Many users, including myself, experienced a sense of nostalgia for the service during periods of isolation. While a relaunch in March 2020 would have been ideal, March 2021 proved to be a successful timing as well.

New Funding and Future Development

Chasen recently announced that the service has secured venture capital funding to facilitate its expansion beyond the current invite-only system. A $7.5 million funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, a decade after the initial launch of the site. Previously, funding relied on contributions from fans through platforms like Patreon and Venmo.

The founder has indicated that the Patreon support will be discontinued. He stated that the new funding will enable continued innovation and exploration of the intersection between social interaction and music. He expressed excitement about developing new ideas for the platform.

Current Status and Surprising Resilience

The company is currently seeking to expand its team, with open positions for engineers and designers. Despite this, the platform feels remarkably current and engaging for those who have been using it in recent months.

A resourceful workaround for music rights has been implemented using YouTube videos. However, future iterations of the service may involve direct music licensing agreements or integrations with popular streaming services like Spotify.

A Look Back at the Original Shutdown

Turntable.fm originally ceased operations in 2013, citing unsustainable costs. The company explained that the expenses associated with running a music service outweighed their monetization and cost-cutting efforts. They then shifted their focus towards developing a live events platform.

The Emergence of Turntable.org

Interestingly, Turntable.fm isn't the only platform with that name attempting a comeback in 2021. Turntable.org (located at TT.fm) is also seeking funding and plans to introduce a subscription model. They announced raising $500,000 in March, with a target launch date of April for both mobile and desktop versions.

The website currently proclaims their goal to recreate the enjoyment of the original platform. It’s important to note that Turntable.fm and Turntable.org are entirely separate entities and are not affiliated with each other.

The two Turntable platforms operate independently.