Product Concept

Imaju

In the midst of my musical work, back when Flash still dominated the web, I enjoyed building and playing with things in ActionScript. When I went into town, I often stopped to watch street musicians. As a keyboard player myself, I watched and thought that if the sound were only a little fuller, the presentation would change and the range of expression would widen.

Before long, browsers could do more each day, and the world of the internet expanded rapidly. That is when the line connected: was there a medium that could fill in missing instruments and still be used at low cost?

Apps people could enjoy on their own appeared one after another, and arcades were filled with them as well. As PCs grew faster, DAWs made it possible at home to do what once required professional gear. Online products, too, came with more appealing ads urging monetization, and the environment in which individuals could earn expanded explosively.

The environment was ready, and everyone aimed at monetization as the goal. Then a thought occurred to me. We had become skilled at cooking results—but without a parent that lays the egg, cooking the egg only enhances another dish or leaves you with a boiled egg. Would that not be the only outcome?

With an interest in programming and a sense that the musical tools we needed were lacking, I suddenly wondered whether I could build something myself in the browser. I wanted to fill what seemed missing and necessary. Above all, I already knew the joy of someone being moved by a result I had created. That, I believe, is what one must hold as a purpose before any pursuit of money.

That is how this Imaju came into being. I believe there is still much left that people can do.