By Anayansy Hernandez
Want to turn yourself into the next karaoke star? There’s a new app on the market that can help you do that: Kanto, an online karaoke application for smart TVs and smartphones, allows users to create karaoke experiences from the comfort of their own home.
For CEO Carlos Montesinos, the app was born out of a desire to bring friends together and improve his singing technique. “We are amateur singers who enjoy going to karaoke bars and sharing the experience with friends, but when we tried to do it at home, we couldn’t recreate the same experience.” Montesinos and his co-founder and CTO Kevin Zuñiga are both software developers who decided to combine their two passions to create a unique product.
Kanto creates a second-screen experience by connecting your phone to the TV. This means the phone acts as a microphone for the TV to rate users based on their singing. Singers are rated based on their tone, pitch, rhythm and tempo. The app even shows which part of the song you can improve on. For those who want to find out who the rockstar of the group is, there is a leaderboard that rates the contestants.
Users can continue their winning streak as the algorithm suggests songs similar to those they previously selected. Kanto is not stingy with its music selection; the app suggests a variety of songs in Spanish, Portuguese and English. “We have special teams that curate songs, create playlists and suggest new songs to keep up with new releases,” explained Montesinos.
The app has been a huge success in Latin America, reaching millions of users each year, and now it’s coming to the U.S. The company has partnered with TV manufacturers like LG Electronics, Vizio and Roku to bring the experience to homes. The team has also secured music licenses from Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony, Warner Chapel and Disney. With the support of Endeavor Miami, they were able to launch the app in the U.S. market in Miami. “Endeavor helped us a lot by connecting us with the right companies,” said Montesinos.
Kanto has built a national reputation, with the majority of its users coming from Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, and Los Angeles. With its real-time scoring, the company has created a competitive advantage that is unmatched.
The team, which includes co-founders Tomomi Toyosato and Gary Urteaga are working on features that will improve the karaoke experience, such as matching users with songs that suit their type of singer. “With Kanto, we want to bring joy to people. Anyone can sing anytime, anywhere, without anyone being judged. They can share their experience if they want, or they can just keep it to themselves,” Motensinos said.
The Kanto team has achieved major milestones and expects the US to become its most important market next year. By combining cutting-edge technology with the timeless joy of singing, they have created an experience that is exciting and inclusive, changing entertainment today.
Pictured above in the post: Kanto co-founders, from left to right: COO Tomomi Toyosato, CEO Carlos Montesinos, CBO Gary Urteaga and CTO Kevin Zuñiga.
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