AI
Spotify Veteran Launches Music Startup Without AI Generation, Betting on Creative Play Instead
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya raises $5.5M to build interactive music apps centered on sound manipulation and user creativity, deliberately steering clear of generative AI.
TechCrunch — AI
Amid an industry wave of AI-driven music generation tools, a new Tokyo-based startup is taking a different path. A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya—founded by Máuhan M Zonoozy, formerly head of innovation at Spotify—has secured $5.5 million in pre-seed funding to develop a series of playful, experimental music applications that emphasize direct interaction with sound rather than algorithmic output.
Why User Interaction Over Generation#
Zonoozy departed Spotify in 2024 after recognizing a gap in the music experience. While streaming platforms solved the access challenge, he observed that most listeners remained passive consumers. "I think when I looked at emergent behaviors and younger audiences, like everyone's growing up playing with culture through games, through filters, through creation tools. And I just felt like there was an opportunity to empower people to do something similar with music," he explained to TechCrunch.
His conviction centers on the idea that as AI-generated music becomes more plentiful, human taste and creative participation will only become more valuable—not less. The startup has intentionally chosen not to rely on generative AI as the core mechanic, though Zonoozy remains open to leveraging AI for product development and infrastructure.
A Portfolio of Experimental Tools#
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya releases its creations as "singles" within a larger album concept. Each app or website focuses on manipulating or remixing music through user input:
- Speed Surfer – A Chrome extension that modifies tempo and audio filters in real time as you browse
- Usersound – A web tool that converts each letter of your username into a musical note
- Stacks – A stem mixer with a 3×3 grid interface for toggling instrument layers on and off
- Drops – A marble-deflection game where placement patterns trigger different musical notes
- Sampler – Transforms YouTube videos into playable music samples based on song rhythm
The more ambitious offering is bop, an iOS app that lets users place instruments and effects on a grid, adjust song tempo, and apply one-time effects to create custom mixes of base tracks—all exportable directly to social platforms. A multiplayer remix mode is in development.
