Music composition company Jukedeck has raised £500k as it tries to build the next generation of music creation.
The London-based startup lets users create original pieces of music at the touch of a button based on algorithms that mimic a composer’s process.
The investment comes from existing investors Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, with Cambridge Innovation Capital and the University EIS Fund also participating.
Work in progress
Jukedeck is yet to properly launch and has been running under the radar as founder Ed Rex set about learning to code and building the algorithms.
It’s an idea that has been explored before, but Rex says that previous attempts have only been able to create “ambient music” or “music in just one style”.
Where Jukedeck differs from some of its predecessors is that it doesn’t use loops, but works by essentially mimicking the process a composer goes through, making decisions on what should come next on a note-by-note basis.
Copyright problems be gone
While the company is yet to release a product, prospective users can demo a prototype on their website.
Rex, a Cambridge music graduate and classical composer, says that one of the most exciting prospects is creating royalty-free music.
He explains that the technology could give every video on YouTube its own unique soundtrack which would resolve the copyright issues that currently plague many of the platform’s users.
The algorithms also can update in real time so, if fully functional, could also be used by video game developers as soundtracks that adapt to the game’s current environment.