Amplify.link is a Bristol-based MusicTech company that enables artists and digital entrepreneurs to distribute their music without the need for a record company. Founded in 2018, the company is now a team of 5.
Here to answer our 10 questions is CEO and founder, Sam Bates (pictured right).
1 – In your own words – what do you do?
Amplify.link is a smart linking tool and a digital marketing platform for artists. Smart linking tools allow artists to market their music and build their fanbase more effectively.
2 – What’s the most exciting thing about what you’re doing?
We are empowering artists and creators worldwide. Our suite of tools put the power back into the hands of musicians and creators. That we are also providing them with the tools and information on how to monetise their content and market themselves. We also have an incredible roadmap which will allow us to create tools that will help them even more.
3 – What are you most proud of so far?
80,000 artists signed up to the platform, 17m fans have used a link from Amplify.link. Our product has been used in every country global apart from North Korea. The team and the work we’ve put in over the pandemic to build the service. Plus the content we’ve been putting out.
4 – What have you found most difficult about being a startup?
We have completely bootstrapped to this point, which has been amazingly rewarding and made sure we get every last bit of value out of anything we do, but it puts some restrictions on speed of growth and development.
5 – What would you do differently if you started now?
I don’t think there is really anything big we would have done differently, we learn from mistakes as we go, it’s all been a learning process. We also try to build in a lean way and iterate as fast as possible. The vision for the future of the business has really come into focus as we have been through that process, so we had to go on that journey.
6 – Where do you think you’ll be in 12 months?
We are talking to potential investors and hope to raise seed funding in the next few months so we can take the business to the next level, we have a roadmap we are really excited about building and know our users will love it. We’d love to expand the team significantly too.
7 – What tools/people/services/organisations from the cluster have helped you most?
We have met a lot of great people in the Bristol tech scene over the last few years, not least the team at Simpleweb, we went through a startup accelerator with them which really helped us, their advice and experience was really valuable.
8 – What’s the best thing about the Bristol & Bath tech cluster?
Everyone is very welcoming and supportive. Much like the Bristol music scene, the size of the tech scene allows you to meet the people doing big things much more easily than other places, everyone also wants to see other people from Bristol do well.
9 – Who will you be nominating for a SPARKie next year?
If I’m honest we’ve been really focused on our own company, so I’d want to nominate my business partner Harry Stowey for his innovations in UX/UI with Amplify.link and our technical lead Jack Stowey on the work he has done developing Amplify.link – there’s some seriously clever thinking that has gone into Amplify.link
10 – Where can we find out more about you?
Amplify.link or add me on LinkedIn and I’d be happy to have a chat.
