Mozart AI, a generative audio creation platform founded in London, has secured a $6m (£4.38m) seed investment round.
Looking to use AI to break up the dominance of traditional music creation and editing software platforms that have been in use for years, Mozart AI claims its generative technology can support the creative work of artists from amateurs to seasoned producers.
Much of the music industry and wider creative community has expressed concern that generative AI platforms can rapidly produce music by copying elements of the millions of songs used to train their models.
Major protest movements spearheaded by stars like Paul McCartney and Elton John as well as fair use AI advocates like former Stability AI executive Ed Newton-Rex have sprung up to defend the rights of artists against the technology.
Despite the concerns one might have regarding the use of AI in creating music, Mozart AI’s team claims its platform was built with a “creator-first approach” that supports the artistic process rather than competes with it.
The platform serves as a digital audio workstation fitted with generative AI tools including “context-aware stem generation”, “real time suggestions for midi progressions and drums”, “synth and effect generation”, and “the ability to riff and remix any sound into a new style”.
It is also used for some of the more manual elements of music production such as quantisation and time stretching.
“The creative process has always been integral to music-making and to music’s role in shaping global culture,” said Sundar Arvind, co-founder and chief executive of Mozart AI.
“Far from replacing creativity, AI is levelling up that adrenaline-filled process through which musicians compose and discover the right sounds.
“Mozart AI is building powerful generative tools for the next era of collaborative music creation that will enable every artist – from casual creators to professional producers – to turn any idea into a release-ready song in minutes, with commercial rights.
The investment round was led by Balderton Capital and included participation from Mercuri, EWOR and angel investors including Eventbrite co-founder Kevin Hartz.
“AI is impacting every industry, and music is no different. The companies that win will be those that work with and for musicians, not against them,” said Balderton general partner Daniel Waterhouse.
“That’s why we’re so excited about Mozart AI, whose exceptional founding team includes musicians, technologists, and serial entrepreneurs, with deep roots in the industry. Instead of being stunted by clunky and inaccessible legacy software, Mozart AI enables musicians and music enthusiasts to spend more time on the actual creative process, experimenting and iterating on their ideas with ease and speed.”
