Innovator Ed RexAge 28Co-founder and chief executive officer of Jukedeck, an 18-employee AI startup in London
Form and FunctionJukedeck is artificially intelligent music-composition software, designed to give YouTubers and other video makers a way to quickly and cheaply create soundtracks for their work.
BackgroundIn 2011, Rex, a classically trained pianist and composer, began learning to code, believing he could train a computer to write music.
OriginHe started Jukedeck in 2012 with Patrick Stobbs, a musician and Google veteran.
SoftwareJukedeck has been programmed with a library of sheet music that helps it distinguish, say, rock from jazz, and figure out how to structure and produce a song.
Songwriting On Jukedeck’s website, a user selects a song’s length, genre, tempo, and other features; the software spits out a finished composition in seconds.
CostCompanies with more than 10 employees pay $22 a song; otherwise, they’re free, as long as the user credits Jukedeck.
FundingJukedeck says it’s raised about $3.5 million in venture capital and private investment.
Next StepsJukedeck is working with broadcaster UKTV to pair the software’s creations with ads on their network, and Rex says he’s talking to several other companies about similar projects. Eventually he plans to create film-quality soundtracks that adapt to your day as you live it, changing based on your location and other inputs. David Cope, a composer who’s used AI-written material in his work, says computers are getting better at creativity, but to win over skeptics, Jukedeck will have to produce something legitimately good.
(Updated to correct per-song pricing.)
To contact the author of this story: Adam Satariano in London at asatariano1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeff Muskus at jmuskus@bloomberg.net.
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