Discover Music and Create Together in a New, Gamified Experience

Montreal, Quebec - BeatConnect, the creative playground for multiplayer music creation, is excited to announce the launch of Drops, a feature designed to ignite, amplify, and spread creativity—fostering collaboration and community among musicians.

With Drops, users can explore a diverse array of music projects created by the BeatConnect community, remix it in their unique style, and share their new creation with the world. This continuous cycle of creativity and remixing ensures that the collaborative energy never stops, making music creation more dynamic and engaging than ever.

"We're thrilled to unveil Drops and redefine online music creation," says Alexandre Turbide, CEO and Co-Founder of BeatConnect. "Drops is set to transform online music collaboration by introducing a unique, gamified approach that celebrates creativity, connection, and skill development."

Empowering musicians through community and creativity, the design of Drops maintains individual creative flow while fostering connections between beatmakers. It simplifies finding inspiration, expressing musical identity, giving feedback, and developing skills, making it easier for musicians to collaborate and grow together.

"We're proud to create an experience that connects musicians and encourages them to collaborate and progress for the sheer joy of creativity," says Yohan Édouard-Antoine, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of BeatConnect.

The BeatConnect experience, built on the powerful Unity engine, opens up infinite possibilities for design, 3D animation, and gamification. This new and creative approach of building on a gaming engine framework sets BeatConnect apart in the DAW category, offering a rich, interactive environment for music creation.

"Unity allows us to bring our ideas to life in a powerful and flexible environment, enabling us to create freely and develop quickly in both 2D and 3D," says Nicholas Laroche, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of BeatConnect.

Drops is now available for free at www.beatconnect.com, offering a new dimension in collaborative music creation.

About BeatConnect
Founded in 2020 by Alexandre Turbide, Nicholas Laroche, and Yohan Édouard-Antoine, BeatConnect is a Montreal-based startup dedicated to transforming the online music creation experience through user collaboration. In 2023, BeatConnect launched its multiplayer DAW, enabling thousands of beatmakers to create music in real-time with their friends. Since its inception, BeatConnect has raised nearly $5 million in investments and has a team of fifteen employees across Canada, the United States, and England.

BeatConnect, the collaborative music creation platform, is excited to announce a significant milestone: securing $2.25 million CAD in funding ahead of its innovative relaunch. This investment round, supported by a diverse group of strategic investors from the tech and music industries—including Sfermion, FICC, Anges Québec, and Triptyq Capital—marks a pivotal moment for BeatConnect. The platform, renowned for enabling real-time global music collaboration, is set to revolutionise music creation with a gamified approach, redefining the way musicians, producers, and vocalists connect and create together.

The spring 2024 relaunch will introduce a comprehensive overhaul of BeatConnect’s mDAW (multiplayer Digital Audio Workstation), incorporating new functionalities and harnessing the Unity game engine to infuse its music production experience with engaging gaming elements. This platform evolution embodies BeatConnect’s commitment to innovation and their belief in the transformative impact of merging music creation with gaming dynamics.

“Sfermion is committed to supporting intelligent, interactive, and immersive technologies that are building our digital future,” says Dan Patterson, Board Member of lead investor Sfermion. “BeatConnect’s deliberate focus on enhancing the user’s creative process through UX design sets them apart from other online collaboration platforms.”

“We are grateful to have the support of some of the most forward-thinking investors in digital entertainment and tech,” says BeatConnect Co-Founder Alexandre Turbide. "The upcoming enhancements will broaden access to music creation, fostering new creative possibilities while focusing on the fun of making music."

About BeatConnect

At the forefront of online music collaboration, BeatConnect unites creators globally with its multiplayer DAW. They are transforming music production by offering tools like Multiplayer Plugins and a Shared Sequencer. The platform isn't just changing the way music is made; it's cultivating a community where innovation, creativity, and collaboration flourish.

BeatConnect, the digital collaboration-based music platform, has closed a successful initial investment round, raising CA$3M (US$2.2M) from major players. Lead investor FICC (Fonds d’investissement de la culture et des communications) and its partners have contributed a total of CA$1.4M. Angel investor network Anges Québec joins them with CA$850K. CA$750K comes from Triptyq Capital, the first investment fund in North America to be completely focused on entertainment tech. 

With this capital, BeatConnect will build its groundbreaking tool designed for multiple overlapping sectors of the creator economy. By linking multiple DAWs together for cross-platform collaboration and remote sharing sessions, BeatConnect connects users in accessible ways that maximize creative interactions between individuals all over the world. Producers and musicians can work together from their respective home studio asynchronously or in real time. 

BeatConnnect will be building the next phase of the platform, allowing anyone to join a producer for a challenge or learn and create with others. “We’re creating an accessible microcosm,” explains Turbide. “You make something, you share it with everyone, people listen to it and give feedback, and then make something of their own. It motivates users to explore and share their creativity, and it does that in an enjoyable, accessible way.” Having a certain piece of software or a well-developed professional network will no longer be a barrier for aspiring artists and producers as they remix, post, and collaborate in the open BeatConnect world.

This unique and widely applicable approach to collaborative music tech has convinced BeatConnect’s slate of investors. “At the root of any great creative piece, there's collaboration,” says Francois Guy, Angel Investor at Anges Québec. “The music industry has done little to break down the silos that keep their customers captive. Now comes BeatConnect with revolutionary technology that will enable creators to collaborate seamlessly, create more, and monetize their content. Their platform will be the destination for all musicians, from amateurs to seasoned professionals.” 

Other backers concur, especially including top supporters at FICC. “Since its creation in 1997, FICC has offered financial partnerships to Quebec companies involved in the creation, production, and distribution of cultural products and services,” note General Manager Robert Charpentier and Investments Manager Gilles Labranche. “Over the years, technology has become an increasingly major component of cultural development, and BeatConnect’s fantastic team is at the heart of FICC's digital strategy. We are proud to have led this round of financing and to be part of this journey.”

For these investment firms, funding BeatConnect signals a new way forward for music tech that promises much-needed change in entertainment as a whole. “The music industry has been at the forefront of digital transformation,” says Guillaume Therien, a partner at Triptyq. “From the creation, production, and distribution to monetization process, the business models have been disrupted while the audience has been growing globally and finding new ways to interact with music creators. Triptyq Capital is proud to partner with BeatConnect’s impressive founding team, who are democratizing music creation with a playful, collaborative, and disruptive technology.

Creators can invite fans to learn, make music in real time, and hang out on BeatConnect’s newly optimized, deeply collaborative platform.

Audio creation and collaboration platform BeatConnect is unveiling features that unlock new possibilities for creators and music makers eager to engage fans: interactive sessions. A producer can make beats with a few chosen superfans or throw a high-energy production master class for aspiring creators in real time. An artist can write songs alongside her audience and will soon be able to let them play the virtual instruments in her studio. 

Richer than a livestream, these sessions will let anyone click a link, join a session, and start engaging with musicians, producers, and other content creators with no disruptive lags—no matter what software they use. Creators can use these sessions to offer unique opportunities for superfans and followers, unlocking new revenue streams in the process.

“We’re looking at a new economy, a collaboration economy. Indie artists have seen more possibilities as this new economy emerges and grows,” explains Alexandre Turbide, BeatConnect’s co-founder and CEO. “If creators want to teach a skill or offer special access to their creative process, we have built the platform for this, a one-stop shop. Creators can engage their fans and further monetize their skills, as well as organize sessions that ensure everyone has a great time.” 

BeatConnect’s latest version is fully optimized for every DAW and allows for video chat, as well as everything else collaborators need to communicate and groove together. Most importantly for interactive sessions, BeatConnect has zero latency, making interaction organic, exciting, and glitch-free.

“We see allowing creators to share their creative process in real time as the future,” says Turbide. “You will be able to hear it as I’m doing it. BeatConnect lets you see what I’m doing as well, and interact with me as I make something. This can make a big difference to indie creators. Broadcasting to an audience works great once you’re established, but what we’re seeing is that emerging and mid-tier creators really benefit from a more interactive approach, and fans love to get involved with artists who feel relatable and engaged.”

About BeatConnect 

Since BeatConnect launched in 2020, the Montreal-based startup has paved the way for musicians anywhere in the world to come together in shared virtual spaces. Seamlessly integrating into all major DAWs, BeatConnect allows users to collaborate in real time from their respective home studios. Once BeatConnect is installed, musicians and producers can start playing and editing together with no extra setup required. BeatConnect's Lite version is free and its Premium version costs a one-time flat fee of $29.95.

From Facebook livestreams to Fortnite festivals, virtual experiences are reshaping the live music landscape. Artists and audiences are connecting like never before, regardless of how much physical distance stands between them. Continuing this trend, Montreal-based startup BeatConnect is launching BeatConnect Creators to offer artists a new platform to connect and collaborate with fans and followers.

BeatConnect Creators will empower artists to grow their networks and unlock new revenue streams. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase access to interactive masterclasses, real-time jam sessions, and more.

BeatConnect is inviting tech-forward and community-oriented musicians and producers to be one of its first 100 Creators. Apply at beatconnect.com/creator-register.

Since its launch in 2020, BeatConnect has paved the way for musicians to collaborate in real-time virtual spaces. Seamlessly integrating into major DAWs, BeatConnect helps users connect their respective home studios via a VST plugin or its standalone product. It’s affordably priced, too, with a free Lite version and a Premium version costing a one-time flat fee of $29.95.

Affordability, ease of use, and optimal compatibility are all consistent with BeatConnect’s focus on maximizing accessibility between systems and people. Its Creators program is yet another ambitious move to connect and empower musical communities