Aviv Grill, co-founder of Miso Media, created a revolutionary music education software for the iPad and iPhone. He developed an app to teach the user how to play a string instrument (guitar, banjo, ukulele, bass or mandolin) and an app for accessing a large catalog of sheet music. Aviv demonstrated how you can learn on a virtual instrument on the iPad or a real one via the adapter that connects the instrument directly to the iPad. He brought out singer-songwriter-Miso Media advisor, Ingrid Michaelson, to play guitar and sing as the app followed along on a screen behind her.
Google and Justin Timberlake were “name” investors in the company. At the time, the apps were free; the revenue was coming from the sale of sheet music. Mark suggested Aviv charge for a premium version of the app and then upsell users with the sheet music. Aviv agreed, and Mark invested.
Even though Miso Media was heavily downloaded after the episode aired, the company closed less than a year later. In retrospect, Aviv saw that his two products, lessons and sheet music, were completely different categories, and he should have focused only on one of them. He tried to rescue the sheet music side of the business, but by that time, it was too late. Aviv was out of money, and his investors were out of confidence in him.
MisoMedia is no longer in business.
