Music-tech start-up EngineEars, which seeks to reinvent how music creatives run their businesses, has announced the completion of $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Slauson & Co. with participation from artists, producers and engineers across the industry. See full list of investors below.

Said Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, “For too long I’ve witnessed and felt the lack of organization and structure for creatives at the forefront of presenting art to the public. Audio engineers exist behind the curtain and are put to the side too often as the independent music industry grows. This is why we raised our pre-seed, to hire the best talent and develop the best platform for music creatives.”

Added Kendrick Lamar, “Quality of sound is still important in music. Ali has always been a progressive thinker. EngineEars will transcend the culture.”

Ali founded EngineEars to support the full spectrum of an engineer's business, from acquiring clients to scheduling mixing time and handling finances. As it evolved, and through workshops with dozens of major front-line artists, producers and engineers, he and his team recognized the challenges music-industry professionals at large face in managing relationships, tracking payments and running project workflows.

The robust platform operates with a mission to improve the lives of the music professionals behind the curtain while also zeroing in on the business-management side of the recording industry, expected to be a $24 billion market by 2025.