How to Create Music Streaming App: Business Model, Features, and Cost

Listening to audio content has been redefined in the era of high-speed internet-powered smartphones. Gone are the days where people used to download songs on their limited storage devices. Today, anywhere and anytime is the norm, especially after the advent of applications like Spotify and Pandora. 

Let’s take a sneak peek into the music streaming industry market to find out its real potential.

Music Streaming Industry Growth and Projections

Did you know that the global music streaming market is predicted to cross the USD 10 billion benchmark by the year 2023? Well, if you are not surprised by that fact, here’s something to amaze you. The average revenue generated per user in this industry is USD 26. 

Players like Spotify have a leading market share of music streaming subscribers, around 36%. The bottom line here is that people are paying for the convenience and ease offered by app or web-based audio streaming platforms in the contemporary.

Important Considerations before Launching a Music Streaming App

If the above-mentioned stats got you excited about your music streaming app development, here are some important considerations that you should be mindful of before you create a music streaming app.

• Obtaining License

This is one of the most crucial factors that you should be very clear about before you create a music app. Copyright infringements can be a common occurrence in the digital era. However, in some cases, the consequences can be adverse and might lead to heavy penalties. If you plan to create your own music app, you will need to get the required licenses and obtain the Public Performance Rights (PPR) for featuring any audio content on your platform.

• Data Storage

What kind of data storage will you use to run your music streaming application? Will you be opting for a cloud service like AWS or you want to create a data storage-based application on a self-hosted server? You need to answer these questions before you start with music app development to deliver audio content for targeted users.

• Multi-device & multi-platform support

The music streaming application that you are planning to create should always support a wide range of devices. It should be compatible to run on multiple devices including a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. You should also think about the platforms that you will be targeting. 

Are you just creating it for Android or iOS? It is advisable to create music streaming applications for both platforms, if possible so that you don’t miss out on a potential customer. Android has more than 83% market share in Asia whereas iOS only has 16.35%, research your territory before launching.

What Feature Should Your Music Streaming Application Offer?

Now that we have learned about some of the important considerations before creating a music streaming application, let’s delve deeper into the features that it should offer.

• Registration process

Your registration process should not be very complex but it should also get the required information from the users to provide them with the best experience. Be mindful of keeping only the most important information mandatory for the registration process and nothing insignificant.

• User profile generation

You should always provide the option for your users to create a personal profile on the application. It will help you learn more about them. It will be easier to make personalized recommendations based on their profile. The user profile should allow users to update information as and when they want.

• Search bar

Your music streaming application should have a robust content management system that helps to categorize content effectively. It should also offer your users a search bar that allows them to search and discover preferred music. Easy navigation helps to improve the customer experience.

• Personalized recommendation

This is among the most important features that your music streaming application must offer. It helps to personalize the listening experience for your users by suggesting them new songs/audio based on their historical preferences and searches. Make music apps smart enough to recommend relevant content for your users.

• Dynamic music player

Your music player is the real deal in the music streaming application business. It should be easy to use and have features that allow shuffling, tuning, timing, etc. of songs. It should also help them create their playlist by adding the songs they want to listen to.

• Social sharing

If you want to succeed in the music streaming industry, you just can’t compromise with the social sharing options. Your users should feel free to share the music they like with their friends/family/followers on a wide range of social media platforms.

• Online and offline modes

The internet is indeed omnipresent in today’s world. However, your music streaming app should also factor in the unavailability of the internet in certain remote locations. It should offer users the option to play music even when they are offline by downloading the songs when they are connected to the internet.

• Push notification

Push notifications play an important role in keeping your users hooked to the application. You can easily leverage this feature to share new releases, music events, new artists, top songs, etc. If you want to know how to create a music app that has a high engagement rate, this is the key.

• In-app texts

In-app messages allow you to interact with the users on a personal note on the app itself. You should include this feature if you want to boost the user-experience quotient.

Music Streaming App Monetization

If you want to create a sustainable business around your music streaming application, you should know about all possible monetization channels. It will help you find the best fit for your application and needs. Let’s learn about the two most popular monetization methods used by music streaming app owners.

• Subscription model

The subscription model works on the concept of providing access to a pool of content for a given price. There can be various types of subscriptions that should offer users the flexibility to pay for the content they want to consume. A subscription plan should clearly demonstrate the added benefits which free users are missing out on, for example, Spotify premium subscriptions allow users to download the songs and listen to them even when offline.

• Advertisement model

The advertisement model doesn’t charge the users any direct fees to access the content. However, users need to watch advertisements being shown on the platforms during their listening hours. Here, users can access all types of content without paying a premium but they have to watch the marketing advertisements being shown on the portal. If you plan to build a music website and monetize using this method, you will generate revenue solely from the ads.

Cost of Making a Music Streaming App from Scratch

In the contemporary period, it is far easier and cheaper to build a music streaming app. Various reliable platform service providers can help set up your streaming application in a short span. The exact cost of making music streaming applications might vary depending on the features that you want to offer and the service provider that you choose. The total cost also factors in the cost of licensing music content.

Conclusion

This is the best time to build your own Spotify-like music streaming application. However, the competition in this segment is also catching up and you need to give the best user experience to your customers. You can easily achieve this by choosing a reliable audio streaming solution provider that can help you build a quality music streaming app which is also highly dynamic.