A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya Raises $5.5 Million for Hands-On Music Apps

Generative AI services are making full songs from text prompts, while mainstream streaming still largely revolves around searching, saving and pressing play. A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, founded by former Spotify head of innovation Máuhan M. Zonoozy, is betting that listeners want a more participatory medium. Its small, game-like apps let users manipulate vocals, stems and effects themselves, positioning human taste and hands-on play — rather than automated song generation — as the core consumer experience.

The startup disclosed a $5.5 million pre-seed round on September 14, 2026, backed by Mantis VC, SV Angel, BoxGroup, Quiet Capital, Remarkable Ventures, Collaborative Fund and others. Former Spotify chief content and advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff also invested and joined as an adviser. The funding will support products including the iOS remixing app bop and a musical sandbox mixer planned for release in 2026, as the company works toward a broader interactive music platform.