A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a company founded by former Spotify Head of Innovation Máuhan M. Zonoozy, has raised $5.5 million in pre-seed funding to develop interactive music software that users can play rather than only stream.
The startup describes itself as a music (software) label. It is borrowing the record label model of releasing several singles before an album, but instead of singles it is releasing apps. In that analogy, the album is the company’s eventual flagship consumer music app.
The goal is to make music interactive. Users could remix tracks, manipulate individual parts, play with friends, and otherwise participate in music rather than simply listen to it.
Early experimental apps
Shibuya does not yet have a single flagship product, but it has released several small experimental products to explore the idea.
- YouTube Sampler: lets users modify music from a YouTube video.
- Jam: a multiplayer music app for interacting with music together.
- Stacks: allows users to turn song elements such as beats, chords, and vocals on and off to create their own mix.
Investors
The pre-seed round drew backing from The Chainsmokers’ Mantis Venture Capital, SV Angel, and Quiet Capital, an investor in Suno, among others.
