TIL that Etsy owned Reverb
Today, I’m excited to share that two new investors—Creator Partners and Servco—have entered an agreement to purchase Reverb from Etsy. Once the deal closes, we’ll be a privately-held, independently operated company backed by two investors who bring a passion for the musical instrument industry as well as a community-first approach and a deep desire to help transform creative industries for the better.
Getting closer to our musical roots
This next chapter for Reverb will bring us even closer to our musical roots. If you’re not familiar, Creator Partners is an investment company focused on digital transformation of creative industries, with current music investments including BMI, SoundCloud, Colors+Studios and Mogul. As for Servco, they’ve been involved in the musical instrument industry since 1937, including a long history with Fender—first as a dealer of Fender music gear in the 1950s, then as part of the group that bought the company from CBS in 1985 and now as the majority owner of the company, as well as an active investor in other musical instruments businesses.
The musicians, shops, and brands who use Reverb have always been at the center of all that we do and these two partners will help us support our community in new and better ways.
What this means for our community
When this deal is complete in the coming weeks, we’ll return to operating as a standalone business. We won’t be merging with either investor, or any of the other companies in their portfolios, and our team will remain intact. In short, you can continue buying and selling on Reverb as you normally would without any disruption.
That said, we hope you do notice positive changes as we continue to focus on making Reverb the best place to buy and sell music gear. Here’s just a sampling of what we’ve already got in the works:
We’ve been working to make more music-making software available on Reverb so you can change up your sound, even if you’re limited on space or money.
We’re getting ready to pilot a new option for selling that allows you to get paid faster and drop off your gear locally, without needing to create a listing or ship.
We’ve got teams working on making it easier to find what you’re looking for on Reverb, ship your items safely, and resolve your support issues quickly.
Here’s to what's next
Reverb was created for musicians by musicians as a way to connect buyers, sellers, and lovers of music gear—and since 2013, we’ve helped millions do just that. Over the past five years, we’ve learned a lot from Etsy as we’ve expanded our community. As we look ahead, with a focus on growing the entire industry by helping more people buy and sell used music gear, we’re excited to align ourselves with two new partners who share our passion and focus.
Whether you just bought your first piece of gear on Reverb this year or you’ve been selling on Reverb for more than a decade, thank you. We’re grateful to play a part in your musical journey and we’re excited to have you onboard for Reverb’s next chapter.
David Mandelbrot
Reverb CEO