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QRATES Vinylises Music

We got hold of Taishi Fukuyama, the Chief Marketing Officer of QRATES to share their latest ventures and innovations.

QRATES manages the whole pressing process of a vinyl. It is digitising the vinyl scene making headway in the music industry

Some of the best things [sounds] in life do come in the form of a vinyl held in your hand. QRATES, a crowdfunding platform for on-demand vinyl, is a startup that envisions the the power of vinyl bringing back the nostalgic moments of a retro hobby; to produce vinyl that you have always longed for or have ceased to be seen on the racks of retail stores.

Run by a team of passionate music lovers and industry advocates, this award-winning platform has a vision that allows users to create and press as little as 100 copies of vinyl and have it all distribute within 6 to 8 weeks. It is already making headway in the vinyl scene as the music market continues to see gradual and positive growth in pressing vinyl again and QRATES is playing its part to kickstart a digital vinyl store providing a niche product to a growing market.

“From personal experience, most of the music tech innovation and disruption has been at the forefront of algorithms, streaming and live entertainment. However, vinyl has been on a growth streak for 10 consecutive years, and we’re still early in the game in terms of addressing the next experience and innovations around vinyl and it’s been a great story to tell to the global audience,” said Fukuyama.

Taishi Fukuyama heads the marketing team at QRATES now based in Tokyo and the US.

Taishi Fukuyama heads the marketing team at QRATES now based in Tokyo and the US.

Pressing vinyls also means that QRATES is producing artists works. One of the very first question we asked QRATES is about the artists’ copyright. “At QRATES, all of our users must have the rights to create projects on QRATES. To reiterate, only the proper rights owners can initiate a project on our platform,” adds Fukuyama.

As with many startups, there are lots to do for QRATES dealing with incoming orders and demands. The crowdfunding model continues to open doors for more growth focusing on building a firmer relationships with prospective users and business-to-business partners. With their recent attendance to San Francisco Music Tech Summit, they are definitely looking into building the brand within the tech community as well as the music industry.

As Asia continues to see growth in developing and advocating talents in the tech industry, tech conferences such as the San Francisco Music Tech Summit has always supported the community of comers.

“Getting the obvious criteria is hard enough as it is and we are working diligently on all fronts focusing on growth metrics; our team; promoting brand awareness and validation of our product and services.”

Taishi Fukuyama was previously the Japanese territory representative for companies such as The Echo Nest/ Spotify, Consolidated Independent, Mobile Roadie and other innovative music tech companies.

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