Weinreich Labs got its start creating a violin that produces heirloom quality music when amplified or recorded. The Ann Arbor-based firm is still working on that technology but is pivoting into the mobile app space to help grow the business faster.
Weinreich Labs plans to release a mobile app by the end of this month. The app aims to work as a digital museum for fine violins. It will provide a history of a wide range of stringed instruments and in-depth photo galleries with pictures of such high resolutions that the user can tell what type of varnish is on the instrument.
"Choosing an instrument is a huge thing for a classical violinist," says Alex Sobolev, CEO of
Weinreich Labs. "Some people will choose one violin and use it for the rest of their life. Some people will change violins often to find different sounds."
The 3-year-old firm is producing the mobile app as a way to start generating revenue. The app will retail for $0.99 for its simplest version and a $15 annual subscription for its most detailed version.
"We see this as a better avenue for generating some revenue immediately," Sobolev says.
Weinreich Labs still is working on its original technology. That technology gives a violin the ability to amplify an acoustic sound (think stereo speakers) without feedback or loss of tonal character, problems that have long plagued the music industry. Sobolev says the firm is working on a version that comes with a foot pedal and an iPad component so musicians and producers can work with the music in a more detailed manner.
The firm has hired one person (a mbile app developer) over the last year. It currently employs five people.
Source: Alex Sobolev, CEO of Weinreich Labs
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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