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For many years, tech companies from Last.FM to MySpace have attempted to combine music and social networking, with uneven results. But weeSPIN may be cracking the code by putting the humanity back into the art of the DJ. The Culver City startup, launched this month, has completed a seed investment round to support its free app.
[ibimage==33864==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]weeSPIN integrates services such as Spotify and Soundcloud and gives music lovers unprecedented curation control, allowing them to create unique audio experiences for their networks, join conversations, and infiltrate their local music scenes.
"With our current momentum, we're prepared to take weeSPIN to the next level," said weeSPIN founder and CEO Darius Fong. "Our next stage of development enhances the social features of the app and improves functionality by streamlining even more music services into a single platform."
[ibimage==33865==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-left]weeSPIN is based on the assumption that curation itself is a powerful form of artistic expression. In a previous life as a Grammy-winning producer audio engineer, Fong came to believe that popular online music services gave too much power to data scientists and did too little to encourage user creativity. “They're one-dimensional and lack personality," Fong said. "When you're making music, it's personal and it's dynamic. It's not about rigid numbers or algorithms; it's about creativity and collaboration. That's weeSPIN."
Numbers and participants in the round remain undisclosed, but Fong and weeSPIN are closely affiliated with power brokers at the Mayfield Fund, serial entrepreneur Andy Ann, and other big names in LA tech and entertainment.
