Musician-owned Musician’s Hut launches on Demandware platform

Musician’s Hut Inc.’s Musicianshut.com, an e-commerce site that sells musical equipment, has launched on the e-commerce platform of pay-as-you-go provider Demandware Inc. The site, owned by professional musicians, seeks to replicate online the word-of mouth referral procedure typically used by musicians to select equipment and instruments with a community-based model, according to CEO Eric Archuleta.

“Musicians typically rely on the referrals of other musicians they know and trust when making their decisions—whether on an instrument, a piece of equipment, a supplier or even a band member. We needed to be able to reflect that community-based buying model on our site,” says Archuleta. Community-focused features on the site include a wish list, price matching, comparisons, product reviews and a feature that allows site visitors to e-mail information from the site to friends.

The site, which focused on percussion instruments and equipment at launch, will expand its offering to include guitars, amps, keyboards, lighting, sound, D.J. and recording equipment at competitive prices, according to the company.