A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a startup founded by former Spotify innovation head Máuhan M. Zonoozy, has secured $5.5 million in a pre-seed funding round. Investors include Mantis VC, SV Angel, Boxgroup, Quiet Capital, ERA, Common Metal, Gold House, Liquid 2 Ventures, Breakers VC, and Systemic Ventures. Dawn Ostroff, former Spotify executive, joined as an advisor.
The company develops small music-focused applications that allow users to interact with and modify sound without relying on generative AI prompts. Current tools include the Speed Surfer Chrome extension, the Usersound audio username generator, the Stacks stem player, the Drops marble-based sequencer, and the Sampler tool for YouTube videos.
The startup's flagship iOS application, bop, enables users to arrange instruments and effects on a grid to remix songs, with options to adjust tempo and export content to TikTok or Instagram. The team is currently developing a multiplayer version of the app to facilitate collaborative music remixing.
Zonoozy stated that the company intentionally avoids integrating AI into the user-facing creative process, prioritizing human interaction and participation. The startup plans to launch a musical sandbox mixer later this year, which will allow users to experiment with music elements and create their own instruments.
