ARTonic Music went from zero infrastructure to bundling with Avid and Universal Audio

ARTonic Music mad e ChordAXE, a MIDI plugin that empowers songwriters, producers, and composers to produce harmony by ear and feel. The product ships with presets of iconic progressions and a playable Mesh interface for exploring harmonic possibilities. Scott and his team came to Moonbase through The Audio Programmer, a development consultancy specializing in audio software. They were bootstrapping a new company with unique IP and working software, but needed to figure out everything else from scratch.

The previous setup

ARTonic Music didn't have a previous setup because they were starting from zero. The question was what to build. Scott explains the initial scope: "The goal was to get our unique technology out to as many users as possible with our first product, starting with a free version, then offering a paid version for deeper use. We needed a low-friction web interface for customers to download the free version, subscribe to our email news, return for the paid version, and get software updates. We also needed a streamlined voucher code system to work with distribution partners through bundling and reselling."

The alternative was daunting. "With such a small specialized startup team, we didn't see any option other than to contract free-lance developers on a project basis to build what we needed for handling payments, licensing, and distribution." That meant growing in-house expertise across product management, fulfillment, payment gateways, compliance, CRM, cloud hosting, and website integration. A lot of infrastructure to build for a team focused on music creation software.

The decision

As development needs grew beyond the initial prototype phase, Scott's team reached out to The Audio Programmer. An essential next step was copy protection and licensing. The Audio Programmer recommended Moonbase. Scott hadn't heard of them.

"After meeting with Tobias and Hampus, and checking out their capabilities, we were excited to realize how much they could accelerate our progress as an indie plugin startup, while we focused on building and testing the product."

The specific thing that sealed it was technical fit. The Audio Programmer had a working relationship with Moonbase, and the JUCE module could meet their immediate needs. "Our plugin was already built with JUCE and we were pleased to hear the first step of license management could be completed quickly to securely distribute beta builds. It was too early to get distracted with all the e-commerce capabilities we would need, but we felt confident the Moonbase platform was one we could grow into as we went to market."

Implementation

The setup was straightforward. "Developers at The Audio Programmer integrated the JUCE module very quickly. We gave the go ahead to code, and a few days later we were logged into our Moonbase account and setting up beta distribution."

From there, each step moved quickly. "Each step from there to releasing version updates and running direct sales was only a matter of setting up a few parameters in the Moonbase account interface. The customer-facing flows Moonbase provides with simple links have worked reliably with very low friction. We've really appreciated ongoing tweaks, improvements and responsive support from the Moonbase team."

Today, ARTonic Music uses all off-the-shelf Moonbase capabilities: "Links for purchase flows and customer accounts are super-simple to build into our website without advanced web development expertise. Moonbase powers our ability to distribute free and paid versions of our plugin, host downloads and version updates, license through bundlers and resellers, provide coupon discounts, connect with our customer account base, and track basic performance metrics."

What changed

ARTonic Music went from needing to build or hire specialists across multiple infrastructure areas to leveraging one platform. The bigger change was where they could put their attention.

"We were fortunate to establish bundling partnerships with Avid and Universal Audio in our initial GTM effort. This opportunity presented the challenge of going from zero to thousands of downloads by sophisticated DAW users without technical mishaps that could detract from the product introduction. Thanks to Moonbase and The Audio Programmer we're moving through the startup phase smoothly with great confidence in our technical and e-commerce abilities enabled through strong partnerships."

Where they are now

ARTonic Music is shipping and scaling through partnerships. "It's nice to know we can implement affiliate programs, our own bundles, and subscriptions if and when we choose to."

Their focus is on product development. "We've just scratched the surface of what our technology is capable of contributing towards the art of creating music with chords and harmony. We're also expanding distribution through partnerships, and working on video content to share the unique know-how and product capabilities we have to offer."

Scott's summary: "Moonbase allowed us to bootstrap a new software company and get the first product to market with most of our time and energy focused on what we do best."