Start Garden invests in live-stream music

Start Garden invests in live-stream music

SpinUtopia, a social network, help professionals in the electronic dance music industry stream live music to fans. Photo via fb.com

There are 12,000 people in the dance-music world using an app recently funded by Start Garden.

SpinUtopia, a startup by Michigan-native Shane LaChappelle, is a web and mobile app that allows DJs in the electronic dance industry to record and stream sets directly through their iPhones, giving partygoers the option to listen to streams in real-time, before deciding which events to attend.

The free app at iTunes is promoted as a way to let DJs, producers, dancers, venues, promoters and fans tell their story with each event, advancing their brand. The users can also aggregate videos and photos and comments from fans.

“SpinUtopia started with SpinUtopia.com and then we introduced the app,” LaChappelle writes on his Start Garden page. “With the two combined, we have around 12,000 users in more than 30 countries. Initial market testing with the app showed that there is significant interest in European countries, so we hope to increase our visibility there.”

The Start Garden team decided to make an initial $5,000 investment in SpinUtopia last week.

LaChappelle, a product marketing manager for Cognex Corporation, hopes to use the funds to create a model for scalability.

Electronic dance music “is the largest music genre on the planet, fueled by an influx of digital artists,” LaChappelle writes.

SpinUtopia plans to monetize through ad platforms, premium accounts and corporate sponsorships, as well as featured streams, ticket sales and artist-related services.