SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The ONE Music Group, manufacturer of quality musical instruments incorporating digital technology that makes learning to play faster, easier and more enjoyable for all ages, announces today the North American launch of its piano product line: The ONE Light keyboard and The ONE Smart Piano, which is the world’s first and only upright, Apple MFi-certified piano currently on the market. The ONE Music Group also announces a corresponding Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
“Our goal is to help people play their first song in just a few minutes,” said Ben Ye, Global CEO and co-founder of The ONE Music Group. “Our sheet music inventory is huge, so that people can learn with the songs they love and have fun as they practice.”
The ONE Smart Piano and The ONE Light provide a new way to learn piano in place of expensive private instruction or video game consoles that don’t always translate into real skills. The method is simple: users connect their iOS or Android devices to the piano. The ONE Smart Piano app is free to download and offers three different ways to easily learn songs within minutes: LED-guided sheet music, video lessons, and games. With LED-guided sheet music, a user can pick from thousands of songs ranging from classical to jazz to pop and more, and follow along with real-time LED lights to play through any song immediately. Video lessons cover piano instruction from the basics and are integrated with the LED lights so that you can follow along with the teacher on screen. With games, a user gets a score by hitting scrolling bars as the notes light up on the piano.
The ONE Smart Piano, which comes in two colors Matte Black or Classic White, is a digital upright piano that has the look and feel of a traditional piano and is equipped with 88 hammer-weighted keys, three foot pedals and a wooden body. Made for the mobile musician, The ONE Light works is ideal for people looking for more portability or don’t want to invest in a full-sized piano. The ONE Light comes with expanded entertainment features such as a microphone plug-in for sing and play and 6AA battery-powered mobility. The ONE Light comes in two sleek colors including Onyx Black and White Gold.
Both models of the piano work with the free app for iOS or Android and come equipped with thousands of free and integrated sheet music. With the built-in mp3 speakers, both pianos work with third-party music apps including Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and more playing music directly from the instrument speakers. Both are also midi input systems, so they can be used as music creation tools such as Garageband.
“We’re bringing a new way to learn that defies traditional education conventions,” explained Ye. “Introducing a fun way to learn piano in your own home with mobile technology and the Internet is only the beginning of what we believe will be the transformation of music education. Fifty (50) percent of Americans receive formal music instruction at some point during their lives, but only 12 percent actually continue to play as adults. The ONE Music Group is aiming to change this, with our products.”
Already the best-selling piano on Alibaba’s TaoBao and other top e-commerce platforms in China, The ONE Music Group is expanding operations to North America with U.S. headquarters in San Francisco. The ONE Music Group has begun gaining popularity in the U.S. among influential investors, and Sequoia China partnered with the company in 2014.
“The ONE Music Group is bringing music instruction into the 21st century,” said Doug Leone, partner at Sequoia. “We’re thrilled to support The ONE in its mission to make music a lifelong passion for people of all ages.”
Endorsed by some of the top musical performers in China, The ONE has also begun developing a following in North America, and is being used in homes by performers including Stephen Bradley of the multi-platinum group NO DOUBT, as well as Joseph Hoffman, creator of the “Hoffman Method,” one of the most popular online piano tutorials. Stanford Professor Wang Ge, one the original creators of the Smule music app with 25 million users, is an advisor and supporter of The ONE on providing a fun app experience.
In support of the company’s North American launch is an Indiegogo campaign, with the primary goal of raising awareness of the company and its mission to modernize learning to play an instrument. The money raised will be used to offset the high costs associated with shipping pianos, so the company can keep the price point as low as possible for customers.
As part of the Indiegogo campaign, funders can choose to help The ONE advance music education in nonprofit classrooms with a “Buy The ONE, give one” perk. One of the partners, Open Mind School, is a special needs school and nonprofit 501(3) c that explores different technologies to assist in their students’ education. Senior Planet 501(3) is another partner who is using the smart pianos as a way for senior citizens to pick up a new music skill or revive their rusty piano techniques.
The ONE Smart Piano is offering a limited-time discount on Indiegogo, starting as low as $799 for the earliest funders, and The ONE Light for $199, which is a steep discount from the suggested retail price. Both pianos are already in production, so backers can expect the products to be delivered to their door by September 2015.
Resources:
Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/smart-piano/x/2978829
Website:
http://www.smartpiano.com/
@onesmartpiano
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