The final part of the interview with Motoi Konno from Mashroom.fm is posted below. If you’ve read yesterday’s installment and enjoyed it, now you have a chance to know about the music Motoi-san has always been inspired by.  Just what you need to start the week in a motivated way, wouldn’t you say?

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I think it was when I was 6years old. My mother taught me how to play the piano.
The first album that I purchased was probably a SPITZ’s single. (Japanese pop band)

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

Yes, I’ve been playing blues for the last 10 years and I am blues guitarist and singer in Japan. And this is my channel.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

Blues, Soul, R&B, MOTOWN, STAX
I really admire many blues artists. Especially, Robert Cray, Lurrie Bell, and there are plenty of others. Continue reading →

Motoi Konno, one of the founders of Mashrooom.fm (a web service for creating your own mashups using different YouTube videos) was kind-enough to answer all the questions I put his way about his startup, and also about the role music has in his life.

This is the first time that I interview someone from Japan, and it’s really refreshing to have the insight from people living in what’s unarguably one of the most technically-developed countries in the world.

You can read the original post on Mashroom.fm here. And if you wonder when you can read the other half of this interview (“Music & You”), then that’s just been posted.

Full Name: Motoi Konno
Age: 28
Startup: Mashroom.fm
Position: Music Manager/Marketer

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

1 years ago, I and co founder Makoto Watanabe watched the video of Playing For Change. There were a lot of professional musicians and street musicians playing together there, no matter how different were their lives and their languages. It really moved our hearts. And we simply thought “We want to make this happen on the web!” That was the start.

What was the original launch date?

It was 27 January 2012

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?  

So far, it hasn’t been so bad but we hope to have more active users per month.
Right now, our site is visited from 59 countries. Spain and USA are the most active ones.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We want to support musicians and artists all over the world. So, in the future we want Mashroom.fm to become a platform where they can sell and exchange their work. We want to change the fact of gifted musicians and artists not being able to earn enough money to support themselves. Continue reading →