If you spend any time watching music-related content on YouTube, you’re very likely to have seen at least one ad for tuition app, Yousician.
And if - at any point in your life - you’ve struggled to learn to play a musical instrument, the Finland-based company promises to make the progress much easier through a series of graded lessons characterised by a technology engine that listens to the user's playing and rewards progress with star ratings.
At which point, you may have clicked the skip button. YouTube itself is awash with music education videos - some of them ad hoc and posted by enthusiastic amateurs, others lovingly created by pros and a few offering gateways to comprehensive courses. Step back to look at the wider internet and there is no shortage of free and premium music education available. Yousician exists in a very large universe.
But over the course of a decade, the company has cut through the noise. Today it has about 20 million active users - up from a 14 million pre-pandemic figure - and revenues of about $50 million. In April of this year, the company secured an additional $28 million in Series B round, with True Ventures as the lead investor. The deal took the total sum raised to $35 million. As things stand, the company’s main markets are in the English-speaking world - U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand - but it is now rolling out local language versions too.
From Finland To The World
So when I spoke to co-founder and CEO Chris Thür, I was keen to find out how a startup from Finland had set about growing user numbers outside its home market.
As it turns out, it was a case of needs must. Gaining traction in the English speaking world was part of the game plan from day one.
“Finland is a very small country,” he says. “So it was natural for us to go for the bigger markets.”
Again, with the size of the market in mind, it made sense to opt for English as the language of the app. This, Thür says, was a well-charted strategy. “Finnish games companies tend to launch in English to address the bigger market,” he says.
The idea behind Yousician was a simple one. Thür was a laser scientist by training and his co-founder Mikko Kaipainen had trained as an electrical engineer. Both had tried and failed to learn instruments. The idea of behind the platform was to provide effective musical training for those who were struggling with self-teaching or conventional lessons. “We were solving our own problem,” says Thür.
Non-Musicians
Now, music education is a field dominated by - not surprisingly - musicians. Thür admits there were some raised eyebrows when the company launched with musical outsiders at the helm. “We spoke to one investor who asked us: Are you music teachers? Are you musicians? Are you audio engineers? Are you app developers? We said no. He didn’t write us a check. But he said it was fantastic that we were bringing fresh thinking. That’s how innovation comes.”
But what does innovation mean in the context of music education. Yousician started small with an app for children. Thür admits it wasn’t popular. When it came to their children's education, parents weren't prepared to pay for an app. So, the company pivoted. In addition to a guitar tuning app, it began to look at a wider range of learners - from older age groups.
“Our audience is people who have tried to take up an instrument but somehow it didn’t work for them," says Thür
Being Flexible
So why does he think Yousician works? It would be easy to point to the gamification element - by now almost mandatory in education apps - but Thür stresses that over time the platform has become flexible enough to cater for the musical ambitions and aspirations of different customer groups. “Some like practice sessions. Some like music theory. Some like to focus on melody. Others like chords,” he says.
In addition, a newer development is the introduction of masterclass style sessions featuring musicians such as Jason Mraz and Metallica.
The development of the platform is ongoing. From a bare minimum at launch, its functionality is growing. At the same time, the app is being continually optimised through A/B testing of functions.
The challenge facing every company is, of course, to reach the target audience. Although based in Europe, Yousician’s English speaking offer could easily be mistaken for an American product. At the same time, much of the advertising via YouTube on social media is targeted at those whose online activity reveals an interest in musical education. Free lessons are available but they are basic. Thür says many people convert to the $10 a month premium plan within days. “It’s not a lot of money.” The challenge is to make the free offer useful enough to gain users while also ensuring it is limited enough to prompt upgrades.
Will the growth continue after the pandemic? Thür thinks it will. “We were growing anyway,” he says. “People will want to continue to use their time well.”
And he believes people will continue to be drawn to music. “It is a complete workout for the brain,” he says.