The music app leaders like Apple Music, Spotify, YT music, etc have evolved the era of the music industry. These apps provide convenience and an amazing user experience in exchange for value-for-money subscriptions and earn millions of dollars.
If you are related to the music industry or want to know how to make a music app like Spotify, this guide is a must for you to read.
But before we dive deeper, let’s learn about the market overview of music streaming apps.
Streaming Music Apps Market Overview
Streaming music applications are popular due to their convenience. Here are some interesting statistics to consider.
- As claimed by the music streaming service market industry analysis, streaming music is expected to surpass $10 billion by 2023 in the global market.
- Approximately $26 is the average revenue per user.
- Among music streaming subscribers, Spotify holds a 36% market share.
- Approximately 60 million users pay for Apple Music subscriptions, according to Apple.
This is the overall market summary for music streaming applications. Now let’s focus on some crucial points before we begin developing our own music app.
How to Make a Music App like Spotify: Key Considerations
1. Getting a License
Listening to music without purchasing it is possible with music streaming services. In order to use the music content, you must have a license as the owner. Thus, if you want to start your own music streaming service, you would need public performance rights.
Streaming music apps like Spotify have two types of licensing
- Sound Recording License
- Music Composition License Agreements
It is recommended to get these licenses in order and stream music with consent.
2. Data Storage
It is very important for your development team to take care of data storage. You need a back-end server that supports streaming, like AWS.
Type of Music Streaming Services
1. Music Library
The music library would be hosted on the server, and the music would be accessible under your terms, such as paid subscriptions or free access.
Examples: Apple Music, Spotify
2. Cloud Storage
By allowing users to store their songs, you allow them to stream them wherever and whenever they want.
Example: AudioBox, Groove Music
3. Radio Stations
An app like this has a variety of radio stations that are arranged by specific themes, which can be streamed to PCs, home audio systems, or mobile devices.
Example: Shoutcast, Apple Music
3. Platform
Choosing a platform is a very important part of your scope of work. There are mainly two major platforms: iOS and Android. In the case of your music streaming apps. It becomes mandatory to be available on both platforms in order to gain more users.
Still confused about which platform is suitable for Spotify clone app development? Consider this guide on Android vs iOS to choose the right platform.
Now let’s understand how to make a music app like Spotify. Let's take a look at this topic in more detail.
How to Make a Music App like Spotify: Essential Features
Music streaming apps have many unique features, making them rather complex services. When making a music streaming app, you need to take into account several basic features. In order to keep things simple, we have noted the most needed function you need in your app.
This list does not include standard functions like authorization, social networking integration, push notifications, or music sharing, since these are found in nearly all mobile applications.
1. AI Recommendations
Artificial intelligence is an important part of developing an audio streaming application. Since many people enjoy discovering new artists, genres, and directions in music, users are open to suggestions curated according to their musical tastes and listening history. You can ask them to flag the compositions they really like or dislike so the AI can track their preferences.
2. Searching for Music
Your users will be able to find any song or podcast using the search function. The tags should be able to be used to search for artists, songs, albums, labels, and genres.
3. Music Player
The interface of a music player is usually simple and easy to use. In addition to the song's audio track, the device has a volume control and buttons for playing, pausing, and switching between songs. Other than the album cover, the interface displays information about the album. The cover of some audio streaming apps is replaced with a video of the song. In order to make the player more engaging, it's important to ensure in advance that it doesn't consume too much data.
4. Audio Streaming
Streaming is a way to stream audio or video quickly and continuously over the Internet. As a result, the user is able to listen to songs previously purchased by the service rather than buying them themselves.
5. Podcast and Radio
In addition to music streaming apps, most offer their own radio stations, podcasts, and even audiobooks.
6. Lyrics Display
There are many music streaming apps that offer song lyrics demos, but some can sync the lyrics to the music being played. Apple Music, for instance, does this. You can easily find and listen to specific lines of a song with it.
7. Playlist
The feature allows users to save the compositions they like in a music streaming app and create their own playlists based on them.
8. Downloading
It's invaluable to be able to listen to your favorite tracks, for example, while jogging in a forest with an unstable Internet connection, while downloading them to a music streaming app.
Too many features can create hassle and chaos in your mind. You can simply avoid it by getting started with the prototype app development initially.
Music Streaming App Development Process
In order to create a music streaming app, it is very important to avoid getting off track, we've outlined the main stages of creating an application. These steps will help define your overall scope of work.
1. Research your Audience
Research audience requests, mostly depend on the place where you want to start your streaming service. It may open up some insights to help you avoid mistakes while making a music streaming app or help to stand out from your competitors.
2. Define the Principal Features
You can use the list of features provided above or come up with something extra from your music streaming app. If you choose the core features, it is recommended that you start MVP. Startups use this approach to get the product to market quickly and test the idea.
3. Acquire Official Rights to Stream
All music is protected by intellectual property rights, you must ensure that lawful content is transferred to subscribers. Having a special license can grant you Public Performance Rights. Spotify, for example, has a Sound Recording License that covers recording rights obtained from major labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment Group, and others.
4. Create Stunning UI/UX Design
By making music streaming apps more intuitive and user-friendly, User Experience Design (UX design) can help users not to get lost in all of them. It is also important to design the user interface. The majority of people listen to music and do not look at the album covers (that would be strange), but good UI design can keep them from getting lost in the color design of the cover and help them focus on the right music.
New to the design world? Our app design agency can help you turn your idea into an engaging design.
5. Choose the Technology Stack
As soon as you have a general idea of how to make a music app like Spotify, it's time to meet your development team and choose a stack that fits the features you desire.
Using the future of mobile app development as your technology stack can be the right and strong decision.
6. Develop an App
There are usually two parallel stages in the development process: front and backend. Frontend developers develop the user interface for applications. For backend development, they are responsible for storing terabytes of music data, streaming directly, user authorization, and how they connect to both iOS and Android.
Unable to choose the right mobile app development team in Dubai? Our mobile app developers in Dubai have expertise in developing clone apps.
7. Testing and Tuning
Music streaming apps are no exception. Testing is an essential part of the development process. Your listeners will enjoy the quality of music and amazing selections if you detect and correct any bugs before the release.
8. Launch the App and Collect Feedback
As soon as your MVP is released, you should collect feedback from users so you can improve your app and add more features.
Conclusion
There are many factors to consider in the music streaming app development journey. You need to anticipate aspects like cost and monetizing your app. There are generally four ways to generate revenue from your music app. freemium model, in-app advertisement, subscriptions, and promotions.
Other than that it is very important to update your app according to the latest versions of respective operating systems (iOS and Android). Even your app must be optimized according to the smart TV and other devices like tablets and wearables like the apple watch.
