Ex-Beats Music CEO reimagines X-Factor for talent show app

Former Gracenote, MOG and Beats Music CEO David Hyman has helped with the impending launch of a new app that is set to revolutionise the singing talent show for mobiles.

The premise of the app, titled Chosen, is relatively simple: one merely records themselves performing on their phone and uploads the video, setting themselves up for the scrutiny of music aficionados.

With other online music competition apps like Starmaker and b*famous already available, Chosen will have to battle out a niche for itself just like its potential contestants.

The app aims to shine a spotlight on a variety of musical talents, with Hyman stating to Techcrunch, “We aim to free the genre from the constraints of linear based television, which is forced to focus solely on the lowest common denominator, and as a result, provide one singular type of vocal music to an audience. We want to see guitar solo competitions, Swiss yodeling competitions, and violin concerto competitions.”

The app started out as the brainchild of Rhodium Capital in Tel Aviv, with Hyman chosen by the VC to head the company. With his assistance, Chosen raised $5 million from DCM, CrunchFund, Rhodium Capital, Broadway Angels and Ethan Beard.

With its Tel Aviv-based engineering team led by co-founder Eyal Moshe and former product lead for Yahoo News, MOG, and Beats Music TJay Fowler running the product team state-side, the app is now accepting YouTube video subscriptions of one-take musical performances.

Chosen aims to launch in early 2015.