Creating an AI music startup at 19

A high schooler turned startup founder

At just 19, Arib Khan is rewriting the rules of music production. His startup, Musicfy, launched in early 2023, allowing users to transform their voices into those of iconic artists using AI. In less than three months, the platform reached over 1 million users and $170,000+ in monthly revenue.

Startup Story of Arib Khan

Going viral created his startup

Arib is a self-taught coder based in San Francisco. Being at the center of new startups and surrounded by founders reaching million-dollar valuations based on their ideas, Arib was still in high school when he decided that a startup was exactly what he would build.

After hustling his way into Founders Inc, a Bay Area community of entrepreneurs, Arib was surrounded by people building the next gen of AI-powered tools. While learning to code he was creating one tool after another until he shared a post of an AI-generated song he had created mimicking Drake which went viral. The post had captured the excitement of AI and Arib was ready to ride the wave with Musicfy.

Creating Musicfy and Early Revenue

Musicfy’s launch was a masterclass in viral marketing. With the success of teasing his idea using the names of famous artists and their voices, the AI-generated tracks were the perfect tactic for organic growth when he launched Musicfy to the public.

When he launched the tool publicly the site was getting over 10,000 users signing up each day to test out Musicfy. However, since he decided to keep it free his costs were close to $5,000 a day in credits for the AI tools he had integrated, and he needed to find a way to monetize quickly to keep his startup alive.

After a week of more users, he launched a paid subscription model for the tool. Three months a later Musicfy had surpassed 1 million users and was generating $170,000 in monthly revenue.

Taking a call from A16Z in an Uber

After turning his viral posts into a profitable startup, it had piqued the interest of Silicon Valley investors. He suddenly found himself taking a call from A16Z wanting to invest while sitting in the back of an Uber. His startup now held the same faith as the successful founders he was surrounded by, but it wasn’t a sure bet.

After building hype around Musicfy for the AI voices of famous artists on the platform, Arib was sent copyright claims by Sony & Warner Brothers demanding that he remove this from Musicfy.

Re-inventing his startup

There was not much for Arib to do other than comply with request, but his team had already anticipated the copyright. Within 30 minutes of him receiving the email they launched their new website, focused less on the trendy AI voices, instead turning Musicfy into a music production tool for high-quality audio and editing.

With the success of Musicfy continuing to grow and retain users even without the viral artist voices, Arib has expanded his portfolio by creating new AI software tools, some with the same success through his new venture 24labs.

Despite million dollar offers from investors to buy Musicfy he has declined to sell, and there is no doubt that the now 20-year-old is someone to keep an eye on.

Presented by Lysted

Make Extra Cash Reselling Tickets with Lysted

Looking for a new side hustle to boost your income? Don't let unused concert tickets go to waste—turn them into cash with Lysted!

Lysted's advanced pricing tools ensure you get top dollar for your tickets, making it easy to maximize your profits. With just one listing, your tickets are available on major platforms like StubHub, Ticketmaster, and Seat Geek, saving you the hassle of managing multiple listings.

Plus, Lysted offers fast payouts, getting your earnings directly into your bank account within weeks. It’s a smart and simple way to make extra cash on the side.

Start your ticket reselling side hustle today. Sign up for free!

Startup News This Week 📰

Elon Musk’s AI Startup is valued at $50 billion after new funding round
xAI has raised $5 billion in a funding round valuing it at $50 billion—more than twice what it was valued at several months ago.

Miami based VC firm raises $270 million fund
Bling Capital has raised its fourth fund as the 6-year-old to invest in early-stage startups across enterprise software, fintech, marketplaces, healthcare, and software.

This Singapore-based tech startup aims to democratize pregnancy care.
Biorithm, founded by doctors and engineers, has developed a maternity care platform which allows clinicians to deliver care to mother and baby, anytime, anywhere.

If you enjoyed this post, please share on LinkedIn, X, Meta and elsewhere. It goes a long way to support us!

We’ll be back in your inbox next Thursday on our next topic. Thanks for tuning in!

Cheers,
Odin & Hari