The Goal: Launched by David Kalt in 2013, shortly after purchasing a renowned vintage guitar store, the goal was to remove the friction, difficulty, and costs musicians experienced when buying and selling musical instruments through online platforms. Reverb became a marketplace built specifically “by musicians, for musicians,” combining the trust and community feel of a local guitar shop with the scale of modern e-commerce. What made Reverb unique was its deep focus on music gear culture: transparent pricing guides based on real transaction data, editorial and video content made by musicians, artist-owned gear sales, and a strong emphasis on vintage and used instruments alongside new gear.
Since 2013, Reverb has grown into the most popular music gear website in the world, with over half a billion dollars in annual sales on the platform and millions of musicians worldwide visiting the site each day. By the end of 2019, the company was acquired by Etsy for $275MM.
The Execution: I was one of the first 10 Reverb employees (lucky # 7) during the start-up phase, sitting at one long table in a very cold room. Built the Marketing and Customer Engagement foundations that shaped what Reverb became. The leading musical instrument marketplace.
Marketing Things - built the brand voice, developed content series, activated experiential events, and implemented social strategies aside from “re-posting cool pictures of guitars”.
CE Things - Built ops, best practices, internal teams, and company processes. Dealt with a lot of happy and unhappy guitar players.
