Meet the First Arabic Music Teaching Platform
Correction: We received an update that I3zif may not be launching an e-store.
After struggling to learn how to play the guitar in Jordan, and finding courses too expensive, Bisher Abu Taleb, who's been a musician for 15 years now decided to take things into his own hands and bring music teachers to the home of everyone, by launching I3zif.com, an Arabic online platform that offers video instruction on playing musical instruments.
To make it accessible, he focused on offering instruction that didn't necessitate knowing how to read music. "You don't really need to learn music theory, you just need to know the chords," he says. Currently, the site offers courses for guitar, oud, piano and oriental drum, in Arabic, Oud and Tableh in English, and will soon add kanun, electric guitar and violin soon.
I3zif (pronounced ah-zif) offers 3 to 4 free
lessons before the student starts paying, and it tries to make
all sessions as interactive as it can, despite the fact that
lessons are pre-recorded. In the videos, instructors, who are
chosen for their ease of instruction over video, address mistakes
commonly made by students. Students are also encouraged to film
themselves while playing the instrument, and send a copy to the
instructors, who will send feedback.
I3zif also offers a closed Facebook group where students and
instructors can interact, and, after their third round of funding,
will build software that listens to the music played by the
students, rates it, and gives them feedback, while the instructors
themselves take a percentage for each lesson.
Attracting an international audience
The platform may be basic, but its appeal is broad.
Not long after it joined Oasis500 in March 2012 and launched its
beta version, angel investor Fadi Ghandour became interested. After
seeing Abu Taleb's presentation in a mentorship session, he pulled
the team aside and asked if he could invest.
"He just said, 'Hi, I love what you do, and I want to invest,'"
recalls Abu Taleb. In June 2012, MENA Venture Investments invested
in I3zif. The follow-on round to Oasis500's seed investment allowed
the startup to buy the cameras and computers they would need to
edit and produce videos, rent studio space, and launch an online
advertising campaign.
Saudi Arabia registered the highest numbers of users, due to its
lack of music schools, says Abu Taleb. They also catered to members
of the Arab diaspora who were interested in playing instruments
originally from the Middle East.
After re-launching a new site design in January 2013, the platform sold so far access to 5.000 video courses to 210 students from 23 countries. 34% hail from Saudi, 16% from Jordan, 18% from other Arab countries, 18% from Europe and Canada, and 14% from the U.S.
Launching an e-store
Having received many requests from students for
advice on buying instruments, the I3zif team decided to start an
e-store for musical instruments, that will launch within the next
year.
"An e-store will allow us to leverage our credibility as a music
school, and recommend instruments that complement the courses we
give," says Abu Taleb.
Rather than compete with fellow Oasis500 startup Feesheh, which already offers a e-store for musical instruments, I3zif is partnering to recommend some of Feesheh's instruments, and planning joint projects.
Offer Training in Public Schools
After confronting challenges like online payment, finding video editors with a musical background, and helping professional instructors overcome their fear of the camera, the startup is partnering with Madrasati to launch I3zif in public schools in Jordan.