Dan Swinimer helped gather a tribe to launch a new app he hopes will disrupt the world of social media and websites where things are bought and sold.
Currently beta-tested for public launch, the platform counts Nickelback singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger among its four B次元官网网址渇ounders/angels,B次元官网网址� along with Swinimer, his father Bill and fellow Surrey-area musician/construction company boss Felipe Freig.
B次元官网网址淲e set out to try and monetize social media, while making it a safer and more positive experience,B次元官网网址� said Swinimer, who lives in the Clayton area of Surrey. B次元官网网址淲e felt it unfair that social media users do all the work, provide all the content but make none of the profits.B次元官网网址�
Trybe is based on an award system that sends as little as 10 cents per B次元官网网址渓ike,B次元官网网址� coupled with a built-in B次元官网网址渨in-winB次元官网网址� for users, as Swinimer describes it.
B次元官网网址淓very time you award someone elseB次元官网网址檚 post, you get exposure for your own post which gives you a better chance of your post being seen and also making money in awards,B次元官网网址� he told the Now-Leader.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 turned into a thing, it really has,B次元官网网址� added the Ontario-raised Swinimer. B次元官网网址淲e sold shares and raised almost $2 million, we have head offices in Toronto, a CEO (Thomas Jankowski) and staff of 10 coders. ItB次元官网网址檚 turned into so much more than we originally conceived.B次元官网网址�
In the late-2000s, Swinimer and Freig were members of the rock band when they met Kroeger, who shared a manager at the time.
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Today, Swinimer is a songwriter/producer with his own , and Frieg runs Langley-based .
A couple of years ago, Frieg told Swinimer about an issue involving his teen son, Jadis, whoB次元官网网址檇 been posting video of his scooter-riding tricks to social media.
B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 even believe the tricks that this kid can do on the scooter, itB次元官网网址檚 amazing,B次元官网网址� Swinimer said. B次元官网网址淗is son didnB次元官网网址檛 have any sponsors at that point, but he was spending hours and hours every day practicing, getting really, really good, and then he spent his own money buying all this video equipment and editing software. So heB次元官网网址檇 spend four or five hours a day practicing, learning tricks, videoing them from multiple angles, then heB次元官网网址檇 edit these videos just so that he could post them on social media. And what does he get for that? The B次元官网网址榣ikes,B次元官网网址� and thatB次元官网网址檚 it. HeB次元官网网址檇 been doing this for a while, and we realized that with the social media model, everyone is providing the product and getting nothing in return.B次元官网网址�
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After Swinimer and Freig talked some more, they clicked on the idea for Trybe as a way to monetize social media.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a platform where if you post something, you have a chance to make money on that post,B次元官网网址� Swinimer elaborated. B次元官网网址淲hen people post to social media, the most important thing is content, connecting with people and receiving validation from others. So imagine if you mixed in the possibility of making money and also having complete control over how many people will see your posts.B次元官网网址� The more people I reward, the more people will see my posts, and the more chance I have of making money on my posts. If the content is good and views-to-engagement ratio is high, it also drives exposure to the post, so that lights a little fire under the post.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� RELATED STORY, from May 2020: .
Out of the gate, Kroeger had the level of celebrity pull sought by Swinimer and Freig for Trybe.
B次元官网网址淲e discussed it with Chad and right away, he was excited about it because he could see how it could transform the music business,B次元官网网址� Swinimer recalled. B次元官网网址淚t could completely disrupt the entire distribution chain, because itB次元官网网址檚 a pain in the ass going through iTunes, which takes a lot of the proceeds. So what about a world where you post new music on Trybe? You give a download code to anyone who rewards this post with a dollar or more, and now youB次元官网网址檙e keeping all the money that comes in.B次元官网网址�
Right now, to get early access to the app, users join a waitlist by downloading the iOS or Android app from .
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Nickelback raved about TrybeB次元官网网址檚 launch to the bandB次元官网网址檚 738,000 followers on the rival Twitter platform: B次元官网网址淣o more giving away your creativity and time to social media giants. The new way B次元官网网址� Social. Be yourself, be with your people, get rewards. See you on there.B次元官网网址� A day later, for her 21 million followers on Twitter.
Swinimer says Kroeger is B次元官网网址渧ery involvedB次元官网网址� in the project, and likes to be in the meetings when and where he can, including the time when the four Trybe founders flew in KroegerB次元官网网址檚 private jet to Silicon Valley.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 tour with Nickelback (with Jet Black Stare) back then, but toured with a lot of their friends, like 3 Doors Down, Hinder and Staind,B次元官网网址� Swinimer recalled. B次元官网网址淔or someone of his level of recognition, Chad is very accessible to musicians. HeB次元官网网址檚 not hard to find and heB次元官网网址檚 happy to talk to people. One night he took us out to celebrate our record deal when we first signed it, so that was kind of our first foray. He took us out to the Commodore Ballroom because Kid Rock was doing a special invite-only show there. So weB次元官网网址檙e in his little VIP section, and then we went to some penthouse suite afterwards to hang out. It was weird, man, because up to that point it was all independent music, never getting anywhere, and all the sudden weB次元官网网址檙e partying with Kid Rock. It was a wild ride.B次元官网网址�
In the decade since those rock-band days, after Jet Black StareB次元官网网址檚 record deal with Island Def Jam had collapsed, Swinimer turned his attention to country music and launching the careers of musicians including Madeline Merlo and Jojo Mason. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been living in Surrey for 20 years,B次元官网网址� he noted. B次元官网网址淚 built my production company here and have written/produced upwards of 40 hit songs since starting.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� RELATED STORY, from March 2020: .
As for Trybe, the appB次元官网网址檚 public release should be in a month or so, he said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e using a system where we are making it very exclusive and making people excited about it, excited to get in early. We have multiple celebrities on board to get behind this new idea once we are public. ItB次元官网网址檚 very exciting.B次元官网网址�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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