When you bring together a group of music industry professionals who are passionate about alternative Arab music, good things can definitely happen. Indiepush, a Palestinian startup based in Ramallah, aims to promote regional music through its unique online platform while mutually benefiting artists and fans.
Co-founded by a founder of the well-known Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, and two other musicians – Abed Hathout and Nihad Aw – the company was created with an intimate knowledge of the music industry and the services that indie musicians and bands need.
"The idea is to unlock and try to actually figure out how we could reward somebody for sharing music that they love, something that people do already, on whichever social media platform they prefer," Mohamad Ismail, who heads up the customer development as well as the artist and repertoire of Indiepush, told StepFeed.
Ismail explained that the platform aims to tap into the social media followers of bands registered with the platform, "to not only generate sales but also to generate engagement."
Through Indiepush, fans who share music can be rewarded when others go on to share and purchase the band's music. As the website explains through a trendy flowchart, users simply share music and get rewarded with free music and merchandise. Indiepush has also developed a tool for users to see just how far their share has reached, letting them know how many people were influenced.
Launched just one year ago and still in its beta version, the site already has about 100 registered artists that collectively have some three million followers. According to Ismail, Indiepush has already been able help two indie bands successfully crowdfund through Zoomaal, raising a combined $80,000.
"The platform is rough but its working," Ismail said. "There is high engagement potential with fans if we know how to reward them right."
Initially, the team had thought to reach out to western indie bands when launching the platform but found that regional bands were far more receptive. Considering that each member of the team has worked in the local music industry, they were able to quickly grow the numbers of bands using Indiepush by reaching out to personal contacts and friends.
"I don't think we've had one person not like it [the platform], especially compared to the other platforms within the region," Ismail said.
Although things are still in the early stages, Ismail explained that some bands have seen more music sales through Indiepush than through any other online platform they were already using. Moving forward, the team hopes to grow its users and continue to connect bands with fans and potential fans as well.
Ismail explained that the mission of Indiepush is to address things that up-and-coming musicians actually need in the region.
"They need to be introduced to new audiences, they need to get fans engaged and grow their fan base, they need bookings and live shows. If we can figure out a way to get them actual distribution throughout the Arab world, physical and digital and merchandise … Indiepush was our attempt to address the online aspect of what they need," he said. "If they have albums and t-shirts, they need to distribute them in cool hip places throughout the Arab world. That is something that doesn't exist yet. That's something that I would love to happen."
Visit IndiePush to learn more and to connect directly with all kinds of great alternative music.