What Apps Have to do With the Music Industry

These were the times when you could record a mixtape to give to your girlfriend and when having the freedom of listening to music while walking on the street was a huge thing!
From then on, we evolved first to CDs and then to downloads, and the latter grew very quickly thanks to the democratization of the internet. By now, according to a report of the IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry), the number of paying subscribers to music subscription services - which includes services such as Spotify and Deezer - increased from 8 to 28 million.
As the chief content officer of Spotify, Ken Parks, said: “Unlike the distribution of a physical product we can reach every person on the planet, at least every person with a smartphone.” (IFPI Digital Music Report 2014 )
In light of this, we decided to talk about how you can create a good music app. We will address the subject considering two different types of apps: radio apps and band/musicians apps.
Let’s start!
First of all, why should I create an app?
Beyond presenting yourself and giving access to your music, the advantage an app can bring is the way you deliver that experience. With an application, you can offer exclusive content, and your presence on the web (social networks, website, music players, streaming, personal information, contacts) can be found in one single place.
Thanks to the fact that the content is chosen by you, as well as customized, the focus of your users will not be as easily distracted while navigating on a website under the menace of the multitude of hyperlinks.
Radio Apps - What are the possibilities?
But, to make it more clear let’s take the example of one of our GoodBarbers, the app Pausa Musicale . Besides the possibility of listening to music, this app allows users to see upcoming events in the Agenda section. They organize different competitions and there’s an entire section dedicated to promoting the contests. Even if you are new and feel a bit lost in the app, there’s the Popular section where you can find the most popular articles. This type of feature will serve not only your users, but also you, because it’s a great tool to understand what kind of content is most interesting to your audience.
Beyond this, you can use push notifications to let your listeners know when that new song will be on the air, or the Live+ section, that makes it possible for your audience to share the songs with their friends on socials.
How can I use a music app to accelerate my projects?
The Soltanto app shows us it’s possible to associate different types of sections to make complete application. Here the users can go from listening to the songs on Soundcloud, to the latest concert dates, to checking the photos of the musician and much more.
But the great thing about it is that Soltanto being a street artist, one of the features that made it really successful is the possibility to target the push notifications using the geolocation tool to really be effective at communication.
You can also encourage your users to give feedback by using the submit section or by leaving comments in the articles or even some connected sections.
The times are a-changin?
Nowadays people still listen to music and I think they always will, but it’s very clear that the way we do is changing. So, the best thing to keep up with changing times is to communicate your business using the format that other people are using. This means learning how to speak the language your audience is speaking. A good example of this is Beats , the brand of headphones and speakers created by the rapper and hiphop producer Dr. Dre. They launched an online music streaming service this year and Tyler Hayes commented on it, saying: “The music business isn't about albums anymore--it's about distribution via app.” (source: FastCoLabs ).
So, I guess that gives you a number of good reasons to consider creating an app for your music business. Now I would like to leave you with this powerful quote from Bobby Owsinski :
“What we see now is the business morphing as music streaming becomes the consumption method of choice for listeners. It seems like just yesterday we were living through the first digital music revolution; keep your eyes open because we’re living it again.” (source: Forbes )
Have some thoughts to share on this subject? Leave us a comment below!
Design

