SURF Music

About SURF Music

SURF Music is a Tokyo-based B2B digital ecosystem and marketplace designed for music creators to sell their unreleased music to buyers within the global media and entertainment industry. The company was founded by Kenneth Kobori, a songwriter and producer with a two-decade career in Japan, who experienced firsthand the challenges of connecting with collaborators and monetizing completed songs outside of his immediate network. He launched SURF Music in May 2023 to address these issues.

The platform operates on a subscription-based model and does not take any revenue or royalties from the musicians, allowing creators to retain 100% of their publishing rights for all songs placed through the service. It serves as an all-in-one tool for artists to collaborate, package, pitch, and sell their original, unreleased music. For music buyers, such as A&Rs from record labels and publishing companies, the platform provides an AI-powered search and filtering system to discover new tracks and talent efficiently. This system helps to organize and streamline what has traditionally been a chaotic process of song discovery.

SURF Music has gained traction in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, attracting over 700 artists and producers who have uploaded more than 7,500 demos. The platform has already facilitated the placement of several tracks, with six becoming No. 1 charting singles and albums in Japan. The company works with major record labels in Japan and Korea, including Sony Music Labels, Universal Virgin Japan, and YG Plus, Inc. In 2023, SURF Music was recognized as a finalist for the SXSW Innovation Award in the Media category. While currently accessible on digital and mobile browsers, an app is in development.