Six months ago, Twin Cities music producer Mike Bishop was in the middle of a recording session when the band he was working with sought a unique instrument that they didn’t have.

This wasn’t the first time, and Bishop knew it wasn’t going to be the last, as requests to add specialty instruments on tracks has become a common occurrence in the studio.

Craigslist, his current default method of sourcing, was hit or miss. Musicians would often show up late (or never), and sometimes not be the right fit at all. The search would start all over again, prolonging the pain. What happened next was what one can usually find before the creation of an entrepreneurial venture. Bishop thought to himself: There has to be a better way…but what would that look like?

A vision was born and the stage was set for what would become Record Together.

“There just wasn’t a great way to connect musicians in the modern world,” Bishop explained, describing how he approached the problem using his own development background.

Through the online crowdsourcing platform, artists can post their needs in the form of a track, an instrument or specific sound they are looking for, along with a “bounty,” or price they are willing to pay. In response, musicians from anywhere in the world can upload their own sample tracks for possible selection.  From there, the original requester can compare options and make a purchase, tapping into the consumer home-recording market and allowing musical talent to be compensated through the Internet.

Launching a mere six weeks ago, Record Together has already signed up 280 users and hosted 15 “competitions” for in-need artists. “This is just the beginning,” says Bishop.

“The more talented musicians we can get participating, the more it’s going to benefit everyone…some of the greatest musicians are the ones we haven’t heard of yet.”

This post was originally published by Tristan Pollock on TECHdotMN.