Nimbit uses venture capital to fund band-to-fan e-commerce platform

Screen shot 2011 03 20 at 8 10 43 PMTechcrunch profiled Nimbit, a “band-to-fan” e-commerce platform that seems to roll up all the services from CDBaby, HostBaby, and Fanbridge into a single service. According to Rip Empson, the service has already rolled up $5 million in venture capital it plans to use to hire application developers and other key team members.

The company that launched Nimbit started out as a CD pressing and fulfillment service. Just as DiscMakers’ acquisition of CDBaby allowed the merged company to roll up a vertical solution for independent music production, promotion, and sales. By 2007, they were experimenting with viral media tools, like plug-in media players.

Today, it looks like they’re positioning themselves alongside Tunecore and Bandcamp as multi-platform band commerce enablers. Unlike those services, the company aims to offer one-stop shopping for both digital and physical goods. They even handle the shipping on merchandise like T-shirts and vinyl.

Nimbit offers a free plan that includes a branded widget that can help you sell your music on Facebook. Upgrade to the “Indie” plan for $12.95 per month, and you add basic e-mail list management, a merchandise store, and the ability to accept credit cards at your gigs. The “Pro” plan, aimed at music management agencies and indie labels, offers the ability to run campaigns for multiple artists.