JoyTunes Raises $5 Million, Gives Registered Teachers Free Access

JoyTunes creates apps that allow people to teach themselves to play music but they've also become a favorite of many teachers who encourage their students to use the apps to support practicing. Their apps generate revenue through paid accounts and in-app purchases. Recently JoyTunes completed a $5 million Series A round and, in what sounds partly like a leap of faith, are now giving registered teachers and their students free access to Piano Maestro. CEO and Co-founder Yuval Kaminka says it's a move to partner with teachers and grow the larger digital music learning pie.

JoyTunes currently features two iOS apps: Piano Dust Buster and Piano Maestro. The latter is now free for registered teachers and their students.

For anyone who's worked with kids the following video of a key Piano Maestro feature should help make it clearer why music teachers are digging JoyTunes:

Assign Home Challenges with Piano Maestro

JoyTunes announced their $5 million Series A round earlier this month.

CEO Yuval Kaminka says they support his emerging plan to turn teachers into partners:

"Music teachers are the gatekeepers to everything that’s happening in music education…They’re a natural partner."

"It’s a ‘Let’s work with them’ approach…We want to remove anything that blocks adoption. Let’s become true partners with the teachers to introduce technology into music education.”

However Kaminka is giving up 40% of their current revenue to grow the digital music learning pie without seeming to have a new revenue model. Quite bravely they seem to be planning to figure that out once they have an even deeper knowledge of their users' needs:

"My knees are still shaking from this…[but] We'll understand our customers' needs better over time…and be able to deliver on the magic of turning everyday play into musical performances."

Stay tuned!

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.