“We’re confident it’s going to be bigger than IMDb”: Musicboard founders on growing a community and how it’s earned its cult status

My full world revolves astir euphony and movie - and that's not an exaggeration. So, for group for illustration me, diary entry-style apps for illustration Letterboxd really thief erstwhile it comes to keeping way of what I’ve watched.

Since nan downfall of MySpace, however, there’s been a large spread successful nan marketplace for a societal web for euphony lovers. I've been longing for a euphony journaling app, but my hunt was yet complete erstwhile I recovered Musicboard.

About a twelvemonth ago, I covered nan Musicboard app arsenic portion of our Homescreen Heroes series, and past week I had nan opportunity to talk pinch its founders Johannes Vermandois and Erik Heimer astir Musicboard’s maturation and nan early of online euphony communities.

Letterboxd for euphony lovers

Musicboard is disposable for free connected iOS and Android devices, and likewise to Letterboxd, nan app allows you to grounds each nan songs and albums you perceive to connected nan best euphony streaming services into your ain individual euphony diary - aliases you tin spell Pro for ($4.99/£4.99 a month) to unlock floor plan customization and make your page guidelines out.

Before Musicboard came to life, Vermandois and Heimer were chap euphony obsessives who, for illustration me, longed for a societal web wherever they could definitive their emotion for music.

“I started Musicboard astir 4 and a half years ago, truthful correct astatine nan opening of 2020 was erstwhile nan thought benignant of formed,” explains Heimer, “I’d been talking to a batch of friends astir hep hop euphony and euphony successful general, and we wanted a spot wherever we could talk astir it online”.

The maturation has genuinely been exponential, says Vermandois. “It's been an integrated maturation travel - we haven't done overmuch trading astatine all, and we’ve ne'er paid for ads”, he adds. “It's been solely by connection of rima and by group sharing their euphony reviews online. Now we're astatine complete 400,000 users, adding astir 16,000 each month”.

As 1 of nan 400,000 Musicboard users, I tin attest that nan consciousness of organization that comes pinch nan level is beyond that of nan next-best point (which mostly are Reddit forums). Especially successful nan aftermath of nan pandemic wherever galore felt unopen disconnected from their euphony communities, some Heimer and Vermandois item really individual instrumentality communities person shaped nan measurement users interact connected Musicboard. “Its characteristic is entwined pinch who you perceive to”, says Vermandois, arsenic Heimer adds “if you look astatine different sites for film, for illustration IMDb for example, they're very big. But euphony has specified a beardown relationship to people's people's personalities and regular life successful a measurement that different media doesn't”.

“What struck maine astir Musicboard is really incredibly affirmative and really tight-knit nan organization has become” Heimer noted. When I asked if that extends to nan vivacity of instrumentality and stan culture, he adds: “Of course, there's immoderate hostility betwixt cultures, but successful general, there's truthful overmuch positivity, and nan magnitude of friendships that I've seen formed is insane”. Touché.

Fanbases person been 1 of nan biggest catalysts for Musicboard’s growth, and that’s not only arsenic a consequence of users sharing their ain opinionated reviews - which I’m blameworthy of, particularly erstwhile it came to nan latest Katy Perry album. Vermandois says it’s besides acknowledgment to a genuine liking users person successful reference reviews astir a divers scope of artists from different users astir euphony they mightiness ne'er person encountered: “You person group that are passionate astir their ain music, but they're besides willing successful learning astir different people’s, and why they perceive to it. So it’s stanning, but besides exploring different people's stanning”. I couldn’t person explained it amended myself.

This is only nan opening

It’s safe to opportunity that some Heimer and Vermandois are excited astir nan early of their platform, pinch shared ambitions of turning euphony reviewing into a nosy organization acquisition for each euphony fans. Vermandois says “Over nan past 2 years we've been updating it, keeping bugs astatine bay, but we haven't pushed caller features and built it actively”, meaning there’s plentifulness still to travel for nan platform.

In Musicboard’s caller updates, personalization has been nan focus, wherein Pro subscribers now person nan action to customize their floor plan pinch photograph and GIF banners and different imaginative features to definitive their personalities. With these features successfully rolled out, their adjacent ngo is to double down connected nan platform’s societal networking aspect, sharing their connection for a caller characteristic called Clans.

With this upcoming feature, Vermandois explains really “you'll beryllium capable to subordinate Clans astir your favourite artists and build small, micro-communities astir them”, acting almost for illustration mini forums allowing fans to definitive themselves done nan artists they resonate pinch nan most. Additionally, nan 2 dream that this characteristic will pave nan measurement for much euphony exploration features wrong Musicboard.

“We're moving connected a measurement to import your playlists from different platforms and commencement talking astir them, arsenic good arsenic curating playlists together and reviewing different people's playlists,” says Vermandois. “We're besides talking to immoderate awesome labels astir collaborating pinch them and showcasing their caller artists connected Musicboard.

"Let's opportunity you person a awesome explanation pinch a caller creator they’ve signed; we want Musicboard to beryllium a spot wherever our organization tin beryllium first to entree that creator and say, ‘What do we deliberation astir their songs? Let’s review’”.

Vermandois and Heimer’s dedication to increasing Musicboard is impassioned, pinch nan brace explaining that personification acquisition and nan well-being of its subscribers will ever beryllium their apical priority. As their numbers proceed to rise, Heimer feels assured successful nan platform’s early arsenic nan premier societal networking level for euphony lovers, concluding; “it tin go 1 of these ascendant platforms for illustration IMDB”.

I can’t hold to spot what’s successful shop for Musicboard arsenic it continues to turn and develop. I emotion its layout and nan state you person to beryllium who you want, and you tin spot really Heimer and Vermandois’ attraction connected personalization makes nan level what it is today. Now, to spell constitute my scathing reappraisal of thing made by Kim Petras.

You mightiness besides for illustration

• Spotify's caller automatic 'Offline Playlist' lets you perceive to euphony moreover erstwhile you suffer awesome – nary effort required
• I changed this 1 mini Spotify characteristic and it made my euphony sound dramatically better
• My apical 5 tips to make much of your Spotify playlists – and spot me, I'm a playlist obsessive