While Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Google Play Music and others are making lots of press points and the wars between them intensify each day, that doesn’t change the fact that 80% of the population still consumes music on YouTube.
80% of the population still consumes music on YouTube. The funny thing is that YouTube is not even a music platform.
The funny thing is that YouTube is not even a music platform, but a “video-sharing website” by definition. As such, the music experience on YouTube as basic as it can be.
Music is perceived as a basic, daily commodity. And people are finding it un-natural to pay money for.
Or as John Lennon once said: “Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.”.
Not to mention the fact that those websites have limited music libraries and highly limited geographic availability.
Music is perceived as a basic, daily commodity. And people are finding it un-natural to pay money for.
Or as John Lennon once said: “Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.”.
That is the reason why YouTube, as a free platform with an almost unlimited music library, is still the undisputed market leader, despite of the annoying video ads between songs, the poor audio quality on some of its content and the lack of anything but the most basic music related features.
So yes, Spotify and others are struggling to provide an improved music experience, but in the end, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Google Play Music and others are just more of the same.
Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Google Play Music and others are just more of the same.
So what have we had so far?
In order to create this improved music experience, the experience that will get us out of YouTube’s bear hug, we will have to satisfy the following formula:
The ultimate music experience = free + simple + legal + an unlimited music library – annoying ads + a secret ingredient.
Wait! What secret ingredient?
Imagine a free, video-ads-free YouTube. Will it be perfect?
Well… almost. I mean yes, what else can we ask for?
The ultimate music experience = free + simple + legal + an unlimited music library – annoying ads + a secret ingredient.
We are talking about music experience. An experience that can’t be satisfied only by browsing and playing music. Music is more than just that.
What is music? Lets let these nice people describe it:
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
– Bob Marley
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
“If music be the food of love, play on.”
– William Shakespeare
“Where words fail, music speaks.”
– Hans Christian Andersen
You can find some more music quotes in here
When we first thought about BeatSense, we were wondering a lot about this “secret ingredient,” That thing that will elevate the experience of online music to that higher dimension where it belongs. We didn’t want to create just another Spotify, or another YouTube or even another TurnTable.fm that some of you remember.
We began by spotting the flaws of the current music platforms (beside the fact that they are not free, geographically limited and their music library is limited):
1. There are depressing quite moments between each song
2. You actually need to think about what you would like to hear, and then you have to search for it. Call us lazy, but that actually felt like too much hassle for us.
3. The UI is challenging and takes time to get used to.
4. The so-called “discovery algorithms” don’t actually work.
5. The only thing you can do is just listening to music. But then again, music is more than “just a thing to listen to.”
Let’s go back to our equation:
The ultimate music experience = free + easy+ legal + an unlimited music library – annoying ads + secret ingredient.
Building a system based on YouTube API solved the free, legal and the almost unlimited library variables.
Well, BeatSense has no annoying video ads.
Then comes the “easy“.
Our goal was to make it as simple as a single click.
But easy is actually a formula by itself:
Easy = fast + simple UI + good music
Well, working with the best UI & UX dudes pretty much got us the “Simple UI” variable.
Now, good music, and in a single click? that’s a tough one…
How can we assure good music? Well, there is no artificial algorithm that is human enough to assure such a thing… hands off devs!
How can we assure good music? Well, there is no artificial algorithm that is human enough to assure such a thing…
This is where part of our secret ingredient comes into place.
In BeatSense, all the playlists (AKA BeatRooms) can be real-time collaborative playlist, meaning that you can enjoy music together with your friends, co-workers, family and other Beatsters around the world, as if you are in the same physical place at the same time.
So what? you are asking.
Well… beside the fact that listening to music with people that share the same taste as you, while you are able to chat with them and give feedback to them in many ways. The music content in BeatSense is user-generated.
That means that there is no magical algorithm involved. You select your favorite BeatRoom in a single click, then enjoy hand-picked music, suggested by real people that share the same taste and momentary context as you!
Easy + good music– achieved.
Complimenting this part of the secret ingredient is an awesome cross-fade algorithm between songs, customizable themes, score mechanisms, and more. We are proud to share with you our addiction. BeatSense.com
