Nibl: Startup Sets New Standards for Content Consumption
In 2009, Jeff Lind and Joe Enzminger left their careers in the multimedia game industry to pursue a career as independent software developers in order to bootstrap the creation of their own business. The duo took their time brainstorming ideas before landing on the concept of Nibl, a technology platform that enables anyone to sell digital content in bite (not byte) size pieces. The platform, originally designed for publishers, allows users to sell their work – be it photography, audio, digital art, writing, or video – in small increments. “The vision is that you would make micropayments all over the internet with Nibl. You could to go a news site and see little Nibl buttons by the content on there” says Lind. In other words, anything that can be streamed or downloaded can be priced and sold via Nibl on an a la carte basis.
It wasn’t until SXSW 2013 that Lind and Enzminger celebrated the launch of Nibl Version One. They released the current version during SXSW 2014, and created a WordPress plugin so users can incorporate Nibl sales directly into their website. The platform currently supports video, audio, music, and any other digital content that can be streamed or downloaded. This includes content as simple as recipes, 3D prints, photos, and PDF files.
Today Nibl has over 470 users (mainly photographers, musicians, and authors selling short stories), and they’re working on expanding their user base to 1000+ individual content creators. Some of the platform’s key features include a content search, tags, distribution tools, and analytics. The only time a user pays for the platform is when they make a sale. Nibl receives 15% of every transaction.
The unique aspect about Nibl is that it allows users to sell content on a scale that starts as low as one cent, but can also process transactions up to $200. The fact that you can sell and pay for content on Nibl for under a dollar was a deliberate executive decision. “Our theory” Enzminger explains, “is if you charge so much for a lot of content it’s enough that people don’t want to buy it. There’s a whole lot of content being given away for free that could be monetized in more effective way.”
Lind and Enzminger hope that Nibl will help resurrect the concept of paying for high quality content by enabling people to make micropayments in exchange for specific pieces of content they desire. Imagine being able to pay $5 for a couple of recipes rather than $20 for the entire book, or paying 50-cents for an article that you want to read instead of buying the whole magazine for $5.
The low pricing scale and ability to integrate into websites and social media are not just selling points for Nibl. These two facets drive the company’s broader mission forward by empowering individuals to license and sell their content competitively, and by altering the standard practice of content consumption by providing everyone with access to affordable quality content.
PUBLISHED BY THE AUSTIN PHOENIX
