California based startup Chromatik is off to a great start thanks to popular television show American Idol which will act as the testing grounds for the firm’s innovative private beta release. All of the hard work paid off, with Chromatik announcing on November 15 that it will be releasing its web and iPad application for public consumption. The app is a innovative way for users to practice, perform, and learn music.
American Idol is not the only customers for the product, with the Los Angeles Unified School District, UCLA and many other K-12 to higher education institutions having signed up with the startup. The app also got a super star vote from recording artist Bruno Mars who invested with the company along with 500 Startups and Launchpad LA for a $2 million cash injection.
In an interview with BetaKit, co-founder and CEO Matt Sandler, said that, “The way that we go about teaching, practicing, and performing music hasn’t changed since the days of Bach and Beethoven. The problem behind that is that music is inherently social and collaborative, but the way you practice is you go into a room by yourself with a piece of paper, pencil, and instrument and we hope you come back playing beautiful music. The idea behind [Chromatik] is that we provide the tools…ranging from sheet music you read all the way through lyrics, tablature, chord changes, audio, and whatever you may need to practice from.”
The app is not just for children and is developed in such a way that users from all skill levels can use it including elementary students to professional orchestras. Users can upload their sheet music and make notes on it, record, playback and then export their recording to share and replay. Listeners can also provide feedback and comments on the recording making it a great practice tool. Sandler explains that, “We don’t want you to feel like you’re sitting in a practice room by yourself anymore, you need a way to interact with others around the content you’re learning and practicing on a regular basis.”
For now the app is free for all but the company has some monetization ideas that they will implement later on due in large part to the app’s popularity. Sandler says that, “Musicians spend a tremendous amount of money on both content and instruction so we’ll be monetizing in a variety of ways around that.”
He goes on to add that, “When we think of Chromatik, we’re not an instruction platform, there’s so much great content out there, instructional content specifically, that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. We are a performance and collaboration company.”
Source: BetaKit
Canada’s Wireless Carriers and CWTA Announce New Strategy to Deal With Smartphone Theft
RIM is Set to Outshine its Competitors with BB10’s New Mobile Web Browser
Lunches So Good Kids Can’t Ignore Them
Invigorating Ginger Smoothie
The U.K.’s Youngest Parents Ever
The new hair Jennifer Lawrence