Kuok Meng Ru, founder and CEO of Caldecott Music Group, believes AI-generated instruments are a detail to “strengthen and democratize” the music industry. the right path for you,” Meng Ru says, in an interview on the sidelines of Forbes’ global CEO conference. “I think that’s one of the beauties of new musical trends. “
The son of palm oil billionaire Kuok Khoon Hong, and great-nephew of Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok, Meng Ru, 34, founded Singapore-based Caldecott Music Group in 2021. The organization covers BandLab Technologies, the corporate NME networks of media and musical instruments. View Organization of musical instruments. BandLab Technologies’ flagship company is BandLab, a music production app that also doubles as a social network for creators.
In 2021, BandLab raised $65 million in a Series B investment circular that valued the startup at $315 million. Led through Cerca Management, the billionaire investment arm of former Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen, the circular included participation from Meng Ru’s cousin, Kuok Meng Xiong, K3 Ventures, an early funder of the super-app Grab and tech giant Bytedance.
“When you think of BandLab as a platform, the simplest analogy is Google Docs with Microsoft Word or Sheets with Excel,” says Meng Ru, who co-founded the startup in 2015 and remains its CEO. Users can invite others to paint in their projects, either or in real-time “live sessions”. The young founder attributes BandLab’s “extremely strong” expansion to its sharing tools: the company reached 60 million registered users in January, a buildup of 20 million over the past year. .
While generative AI models like ChatGPT are meant to reinvent industries, from education to medical research, they also have potential for music creation. Multimillion-dollar deal: It is capable of generating lyrics, melodies and chord progressions. OpenAI’s separate software, MuseNet, can create and play 4-minute compositions, depending on genre and instrument.
“Our technique for AI is, I would say, a little less conventional,” says Meng Ru. SongStarter, BandLab’s synthetic intelligence tool, generates royalty-free instrumental concepts that users can use as a starting point for their own songs. Out of the box, BandLab users can input letters or emojis into SongStarter, which then uses Google’s TensorFlow device’s learning formula to produce 3 imaginable “vibrations. “
A of the BandLab application.
More than 60% of BandLab’s user base is under the age of 24, making them “generally settle for new tactics to get things done,” Meng Ru adds. The platform overlaps with other social media platforms, especially TikTok, where abbreviated video content “funny noises and memes,” or remixes and sound effects.
“We think in general, having more people concerned about music from creation and intake is smart for everyone,” says Meng Ru. “Everyone has a musical tool in their hands, which is their cell phone, and more people make music than ever before in history. “
BandLab says this is just the “beginning” of its expansion into AI-powered music creation teams, but declined to list the new features. The Uberduck source voice generator can mimic the sound of popular rappers, such as Kendrick Lamar and Drake, while streaming giant Spotify’s Basic Pitch tool can translate audio input into editable MIDI files.
Traditional outlets of physical tools are the foundation for the progression of the virtual music application. Shortly after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, Meng Ru acquired Swee Lee, a chain of guitar department stores in Singapore. vintage rock and blues, adding artists Eric Clapton and B. B. King, says the 77-year-old retailer’s transformation was a lightning rod delight: “That was the starting point. . . Seeing an opportunity to leverage an existing business to create exceptional visitors enjoy and integrate the chain of origin. »
The founder claims that BandLab’s “consumer experience” focuses on a music enthusiast’s learning journey, from buying a physical guitar to exploring online music production. Long-established media publications are another component of this expanding ecosystem. Upon founding BandLab Technologies, Meng Ru acquired a 49% majority stake in Rolling Stone for $40 million. It was sold to Penske Media Corp in 2019 and, the same year, acquired NME and published Uncut for $11. 2 million.
Kuok Meng Ru plays guitar on a Swee Lee guitar in Singapore.
One of the stars of BandLab is 17-year-old singer David Burke, who is going through the level called “d4vd”. Unable to use professional recording equipment, Burke used the app to produce vocal tracks in his sister’s closet. His paintings gained popularity on TikTok and gained popularity among the general public. Just months after its release in the summer of 2022, Burke’s “Romantic Homicide” peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Meng Ru remains excited to make the “big moment” available to other rising stars like Burke, whose initial exposure to music production came from BandLab. Application that demonstrates “dedication, ingenuity and growth”. Meng Ru says he remains an angel investor through his private fund, Caldecott Ventures, with a new generation of music and media.
“Someone who makes a song in the shower, or who makes a song in their sister’s closet, is legitimately someone who can have a genuine career and replace their family’s life,” he says. “It’s one of the most amazing things on social media. . . the ability to empower others who didn’t have that voice before. “