Every music fan has had that moment when they show a friend a new song, but it starts slow and they lose interest before the best part arrives. The new short-form music sharing app Drops is the solution to that awkward and deflating interaction.
Its UI lets users search for songs and select their favourite 30-second snippet to share. Users can then pair that clip with artist-approved imagery to give the piece of content some flare, making it into what the app has branded a “drop.” “Drops” is not only the name of the app, but the class of content being shared. It’s akin to “tweets” before Twitter changed its name to X.
Users can post their drops to their profile like tweets or send them directly to their friends to help them discover new music. They can also follow other users to create a consistent feed of new music recommendations coming from humans rather than relying on algorithms.
“The way we discover music is evolving, but the most meaningful recommendations have always come from people we trust,” says Clare Hunter, General Manager, Drops. “Drops brings that human element to the forefront, giving people a new way to find music through the moments that make a song special and the perspectives of those who share their taste. We see an opportunity to make music discovery more personal, more social and more connected to the way people listen today.”
Major music companies including Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Symphonic Distribution, EMPIRE and UnitedMasters have licensed their catalog to the platform, for a vast library of recommendable songs.
HARMAN, the audio company that owns such prominent brands as JBL, AKG, Bowers & Wilkins, and Denon, designed Drops.
“So much of music discovery is built to recommend what’s already popular. Drops is built to surface what’s next, and UnitedMasters is built to help artists get there,” says Andrew Migdail, VP, Distribution & Sync Operations, UnitedMasters. “We’re proud to partner with HARMAN to bring this opportunity to our community of independent artists driving culture forward.”
The app is currently available in preview on iOS and Android. For more information, head to Drops.
Harry Levin is a freelance journalist with credits in SPIN, Billboard, MusicTech, Grammy.com, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. His musical journey began 20 years ago with a Led Zeppelin CD. He played jazz trombone through college, produced large-scale electronic music events, and now spends his professional time writing and editing.
Get the MusicTech newsletter
Get the latest news, reviews and tutorials to your inbox.
