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A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya Raises $5.5M Pre-Seed for Music Creation Apps
Key points
- Raised $5.5 million in pre-seed funding.
- Founded by former Spotify innovation head Máuhan M Zonoozy.
- Develops music creation apps without AI prompting.
- Focuses on interactive sound and vocal manipulation tools.
Pre-Seed Funding Secured
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a startup focused on music creation tools, has successfully closed a $5.5 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by multiple firms including Mantis VC, SV Angel, Boxgroup, Quiet Capital, ERA, Common Metal, Gold House, Liquid 2 Ventures, Breakers VC, and Systemic Ventures. Former Spotify chief content and advertising business officer, Dawn Ostroff, also joined the company as an advisor.
Leadership and Vision
The startup was founded by Máuhan M Zonoozy, who previously served as the head of innovation at Spotify. Zonoozy, who left Spotify in 2024, also founded Bubbl, a video clipping and remixing startup acquired by Cricket Media. His vision for A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya is to empower users to create and interact with music, moving beyond passive consumption, particularly for younger audiences accustomed to interactive digital experiences.
Product Offerings
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya releases a series of small applications and websites designed for music interaction. Examples include Speed Surfer, a Chrome extension for altering browser audio; Usersound, for creating audio usernames; Stacks, a stem player for mixing tracks; Drops, a musical note generator; and Sampler, which converts YouTube videos into music samplers. These tools emphasize direct user manipulation of sound elements.
Flagship iOS App: bop
The company's primary product is an iOS application named bop. This app allows users to arrange musical instruments and effects on a grid to create different mixes of a base song. Users can adjust tempo and add one-time effects, with easy export options to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. A multiplayer version of bop is also under development, which will enable collaborative song remixing.
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Reporting from
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a startup founded by former Spotify innovation head Máuhan M Zonoozy, raised $5.5 million in pre-seed funding. The company develops music creation apps that allow users to interact with sounds and vocals without AI prompting, aiming to shift music interaction from consumption to creation.