How to Build a Music Streaming App: Comprehensive Guide

A music streaming app is a software application that allows users to listen to music in a vast audio library online, typically on-demand. These apps don't store the music files on your device; instead, they stream music over the Internet, allowing you to listen to millions of songs online.

Music streaming applications gain their popularity due to the convenience they bring to users. Let’s consider some interesting streaming app usage statistics.

• The global music streaming market is expected to exceed $40.44 billion by 2025.
• The average revenue per user is approximately EUR 4.27.
• Spotify, a music streaming app, has more than 210 million subscribers all over the world.
• About 80% of people listen to audio streaming platforms

As you can see, the music streaming market is quite prospective. Developing your own streaming app allows you to cater to a specific niche or offer innovative features that existing platforms lack. By building a loyal user base through a user-friendly interface and curated content, you can generate recurring revenue through subscriptions and potential in-app purchases. The key lies in offering a unique and engaging experience that sets your app platform apart in a competitive landscape.

Before considering how to create a music streaming app like Spotify, let’s first discuss several streaming market leaders to understand what stands behind their success.

There are a bunch of cool music streaming applications that offer exciting features. For your music streaming app to be successful, it's important to know what functionality to implement into music streaming platforms attractive for your business.

How to make your own music streaming service? You need to discover the demanded features according to the users’ needs. It’s common to divide features into two categories — must-have functionality and advanced. Must-have features are included in the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) version of your music streaming app. It stands for a solution with essential functionality to satisfy basic use needs (e.g., offline listening, seamless playback, etc.). You can create music streaming app MVP, release it, and get feedback. After that, you can add more advanced and expensive features.

Additionally, having an MVP version of your app, you have more chances to get funding for an app development. A working product makes stakeholders trust you. Our specialists can provide you with comprehensive market research and help you create a competitive streaming app with basic features capable of attracting investors.

Let’s single out must-have features to implement when you make music streaming app.

A comprehensive music library is the backbone of a streaming app, offering a vast collection of songs, albums, and artists. This feature must support a powerful search engine that allows users to find specific tracks, artists, albums, or genres quickly. Advanced search for music capabilities might include filters for release date, popularity, and user ratings.

Allowing users to create, manage, and share playlists is a fundamental part of any custom music streaming app development. Users can compile their favorite tracks into custom playlists for different moods, activities, or events. The app should also offer pre-made playlists curated by experts or based on popular themes. A 'Favorites' option enables users to quickly access their most-loved songs and albums. Sharing options enhance the social aspect, allowing users to share their playlists with friends via social media or direct links. This feature encourages engagement and personalization, enhancing the overall user experience.

Social sharing features enable users to connect their music experiences with friends and followers. Integration with major social media platforms allows users to share songs, playlists, and listening activities directly from the app. This can increase the app's visibility and attract new users through word-of-mouth recommendations. Features like collaborative playlists and social feeds where users can see what their friends are listening to enhance the community aspect. Encouraging social interaction within the app can boost user engagement and retention. Social integration makes the music streaming experience more interactive and enjoyable.

High-quality audio streaming ensures that users enjoy their music with the best possible sound. It involves offering multiple streaming quality options, from standard to high definition, catering to different internet speeds and data plans. Users should be able to choose their preferred quality based on their current network conditions. The app should also offer an adaptive streaming feature that automatically adjusts the quality based on network strength. Providing high-quality audio is essential to meet the expectations of audiophiles and casual listeners alike.

In-app notifications keep users informed about new releases, upcoming concerts, personalized recommendations, and app updates. Push notifications can alert users to new content or special events, encouraging them to return to the app. Regular updates and improvements communicated through the app help build trust and demonstrate ongoing commitment to enhancing the user experience. Well-designed notifications implemented when you develop audio streaming app keep users engaged without being intrusive, balancing information delivery with user convenience.

It allows managing subscriptions, creating featured playlists, and (delete and add them). You need one admin panel for all apps.

Let's revise the aforementioned features by looking through the table with music streaming app development hours. This will help you understand the relative complexity and development effort required for each feature, allowing you to prioritize and create a music streaming app that strikes a balance between functionality and development time.

You need to offer popular content to gain more users when you create a music streaming app. Also, you need to consider several monetization strategies to get profit. Let’s single out the most well-known variants to earn money on your created solution.

This business model assumes that you offer a set of certain basic features for free, like ad-supported music playback. However, to access more advanced ones, users need to purchase a premium subscription that unlocks features like ad-free listening, higher quality audio streaming, and unlimited song skips. Spotify, a popular music streaming service, leverages this Freemium model effectively, generating revenue from both free and premium users.

A lot of music streaming services offer monthly subscriptions to get access to unlimited music (e.g. Apple Music). Such a strategy allows companies to get revenue on a regular basis. It’s the most popular variant for music streaming apps, since the music company has to pay for licenses regularly.

It’s possible to add ads before playing the track as YouTube Music does. However, Spotify uses another type of ad. There’s Spotify Ad Studios, a broader advertising platform for businesses of all types. The service targets your audience through podcasts and audio ads.

While not as common as subscriptions, some music streaming services (e.g., Amazon Music) offer in-app purchases for individual songs or albums. This caters to users who don't want a subscription but still desire specific content. This can be a valuable feature to consider when you create a music streaming app, as it broadens your potential user base and caters to diverse listening habits. You can also consider offering exclusive merchandise or virtual goods within the app for dedicated fans. Imagine a music streaming service where fans can purchase exclusive concert tickets or limited-edition artist merchandise through in-app purchases.

Partner with relevant brands or artists to create curated playlists or sponsor specific sections of the app. This can be a creative way to integrate advertising while offering users valuable content. For instance, Spotify has partnered with various brands like Nike and Hulu to create unique playlists that cater to specific workout routines or TV show themes.

For example, Spotify makes money using two monetization models — advertisements and subscription. To understand how Spotify works and gets revenue, we’ve made a business model canvas of this service. It consists of value propositions, business partners, revenues, and more.

Let’s analyze the difficulties you may face when developing music streaming software, and find out how to solve them with the help of the professional streaming software development vendor.

The success of your app is influenced by its user interface and experience. That’s why it is crucial to ensure that the UI design is user-friendly to retain users. Meeting the evolving needs of users is a challenge in music streaming mobile app development, as their interactions with apps change.

Here's where partnering with a music streaming app development company like Cleveroad can be invaluable. Our UI/UX design specialists stay up-to-date on the latest design trends and user behavior patterns by rendering UI/UX design services. This ensures your app remains fresh, engaging, and competitive in the ever-changing mobile landscape.

Balancing functionality with design is a difficult task. It's essential to provide users with necessary features without sacrificing a clean and intuitive user experience. A cluttered interface can be overwhelming and lead users to abandon the app.

An experienced music app development vendor can help you navigate this challenge. Through user research and iterative design processes, they can prioritize core functionalities, ensuring a clean and intuitive interface that caters to user needs while laying the groundwork for future features that won't compromise user experience.

Users expect instant access to their favorite songs and playlists, so any delays in loading can lead to frustration and potentially drive users away. So, to ensure a successful music streaming app development and launch, it needs to have fast loading times and smooth performance on devices with limited resources.

The right development partner doesn't just offer solutions to streaming app development issues; they become an extension of your app development team. Our experts will work collaboratively with you to understand your vision and navigate the challenges of online music streaming app development, ensuring a successful outcome. Feel free to check our Clutch reviews page to see how we helped our clients and what they say about working with us.

Bringing your audio streaming vision to life requires assembling the right team and leveraging the most suitable technologies. We'll explore the roles required for successful music content implementation and app development, along with the tech stack that can power a seamless and feature-rich user experience.

How to start a music streaming app development and succeed? You can apply to an outsourcing vendor for collaboration on a streaming app building. It means finding a software development company with an in-depth expertise in creating music streaming apps. what to pay attention to when choosing a vendor:

• Expertise. Find a software development company with an in-depth portfolio of streaming apps.
• Client testimonials. Research previous clients' feedback to understand the vendor's development process, communication style, and ability to deliver successful music streaming apps.
• Technical skills. Ensure the vendor's team possesses the necessary technical skills for music streaming app development.
• Budget and timeline. Compare quotes from different vendors and ensure transparency in their pricing structure and estimated development timelines.

It should also be mentioned that an application development outsourcing option has an advantageous price quality ratio. This means you can potentially get a high-quality music streaming app developed at a more efficient cost compared to building an in-house team. For example, the Cleveroad outsourcing team can create and deliver your new music streaming project in alignment with your budget, timeline and expectations. We offer flexible cooperation models to fit your needs:

• IT staff augmentation services. Hire the exact IT professionals needed to complete your project, whether they're general developers or domain experts in specific areas (e.g., music streaming app development).
• Full product outsourcing. Get a pre-assembled team of streaming app development experts solely focused on building your music streaming app.

Music lovers deserve the best way to experience their favorite music. Popular music streaming services have mastered this by building a scalable tech stack. This means using different programming languages to "make your app" function flawlessly across all devices. For instance, Swift is the go-to language for iOS development, while Kotlin is used for Android apps. Additionally, a scalable database is crucial to handle the ever-growing libraries and user base of a successful music streaming app.

To help you effectively build music streaming app, let’s consider the tech stack our app developer team typically uses to create a music streaming app:

Web Development:

• Backend. Node.js, Express.js, Python (Django/Flask), Java (Spring Boot), Ruby on Rails
• Frontend. React.js, Angular, Vue.js, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript/TypeScript

Mobile Development:

• iOS. Swift, Objective-C
• Android. Kotlin, Java
• Cross-platform. Flutter (Dart), React Native (JavaScript/TypeScript)

Third-party integrations:

• APIs: Spotify API, Apple Music API
• Services: Firebase (authentication & notifications), Stripe (payments), AWS S3 (storage), Twilio (SMS/voice)
• Analytics: Google Analytics, Mixpanel
• Search: Elasticsearch
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Cloudflare, Akamai

Now, we'll describe the comprehensive app development process of building a music app like Spotify that will be popular in the streaming industry, ensuring your app is created to the highest standards, tailored to your unique vision, and optimized for your target audience.

Before diving into development, consider your app concept. Think out unique features that will set you apart. Identify your target audience and their music streaming habits. Research existing music streaming apps to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This initial groundwork will guide your app's development and ensure it caters to a specific need in the market.

Building a music streaming app requires expertise in various areas. Partnering with a skilled music streaming app development vendor can be a wise decision. Look for a vendor with a proven track record of building successful music streaming apps. They'll bring experience in areas like music licensing, backend infrastructure, and mobile app development.

Work with your development vendor to brainstorm and prioritize features for your music streaming app. This will involve considering user needs, competitor offerings, and technical feasibility. Essential features include music search, playback controls, playlists, and user accounts. You can also consider innovative features like social media integration or personalized recommendations.

Music licensing is crucial for any music streaming app. You'll need to negotiate licensing agreements with rights holders, such as record labels and music publishers. The streaming software development vendor you choose might have experience and connections in the music industry, which can streamline this process.

A user-friendly and intuitive UI/UX design is essential for a successful music streaming app. Collaborate with the provider’s UI/UX designer to create a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate interface for a streaming app.

This includes designing clear navigation menus, intuitive search functions, and a layout that makes it easy to discover music, manage playlists, and control playback. The design will be optimized for both mobile devices (considering different screen sizes and touch interaction) and potentially a web app if you plan to offer one, ensuring a seamless experience across all platforms.

The backend is the engine that powers your music streaming app. It handles tasks like user authentication, music storage, and data streaming. The streaming app development vendor will leverage their expertise to build a robust and scalable backend infrastructure using technologies like cloud storage and databases.

Decide whether to develop native apps for iOS and Android or use a cross-platform development framework. Native apps offer the best performance and user experience, but they require separate codebases for each platform. Cross-platform development can be faster and more cost-effective, but there might be some limitations in features or performance.

Rigorous testing is crucial before releasing your music streaming app. This includes functional testing, performance testing, and user acceptance testing. Once the app is thoroughly tested, your streaming app building vendor will help you deploy it to the appropriate app stores (Apple App Store and Google Play Store). Develop a marketing strategy to generate buzz and attract users for your new music streaming software launch.

Once your music streaming app is polished and ready for launch, a well-defined marketing strategy is crucial for success. Here's where you build brand awareness and attract users.

This step involves crafting a compelling message that resonates with your target audience. Utilize various marketing channels like social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and targeted advertising to reach potential users. Offer incentives for early adopters and encourage user engagement through community building initiatives. By effectively promoting your music streaming app, you can carve out your space in a competitive market and turn listeners into loyal fans.

If you decide on custom music streaming app development, one of the first things you should do is to look for a reliable IT vendor. You’re welcome to contact us as a media software development company, and we will assist you in creating a music streaming application that meets your needs.

The final price of your music streaming solution can vary depending on the number of features for your streaming app, their complexity, location of your development team and so on. For example, music app developers from North America tend to have higher hourly rates, particularly $77-$100+/h in comparison to engineers from Central Europe with their $50-$80+/h.

To get a more granular understanding of how these factors influence development time and cost, let's take a look at a breakdown of estimated development hours for different types of work on the music streaming app development.

If you consider all the said types of work, the cost to build a music streaming service with basic features may range between $88,250 and $150,850 for one or two platforms respectively. We’ve also counted the cost to create an audio streaming app (MVP version for iOS and Android) for different regions.

• Central Europe. $90,000-$150,000 (based on $50/h)
• North America. $300,000-$450,000 (based on $100/h)
• Western Europe. $270,000-$390,000 (based on $90/h)
• Australia. $300,000-$550,000 (based on $100/h)

Please kindly note that the given prices are approximate depending on the above-listed factors. In order to obtain the detailed price estimate, you can apply to the skilled streaming app development provider that will form you the project estimate based on your business requirements.

Cleveroad is a skilled media software development company with 12+ years of experience in the industry. Our cutting-edge tech solutions for media and entertainment businesses boost your product's competitiveness and aid in delivering a radically different user experience.

Working with us on streaming app creation, you will get the following benefits:

• Broad expertise in creating OTT, broadcasting, VOD, and streaming solutions from scratch with an emphasis on resilience, scalability, effectiveness, and affordability
• Free Solution Workshop stage to effectively link technical execution with your business requirements as to media and entertainment software
• Proficiency in integrating third party services (e.g., Truepill, Kaltura, Stripe, Twilio, Wowza, Zoom, StreamShark, etc.) for streaming, VOD, and paywalls
• Custom media and entertainment app development and legacy software modernization with a team tailored specifically to your development needs
• Assisting a reputable technology partner that is certified with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 standards for assuring quality and security of your streaming software
• Your project will be managed by an experienced project management office to ensure that the intended results are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with company needs.
• Every assurance for the confidentiality of your company's information and the NDA, upon your request

One of the streaming projects we’ve recently helped to update is cross-device video-on-demand platform (Blockbuster). It’s a versatile VOD platform for a Danish company providing home entertainment solutions for Nordic countries. It has a web version, iOS and Android apps along with support for Android TV and Apple TV.

Our customer aimed to revolutionize their business model by launching a paid video-on-demand platform for movies and TV shows. They also required developing a streaming service with scalability and high performance at its core, ensuring smooth playback across different devices. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of user engagement, requesting intuitive and fast-loading UI designs.

We’ve developed a VOD platform for the Nordic region with a look good on various screens, platforms and devices. Moreover, the platform we’ve created, enabled video streaming to TV from mobile gadgets. Our specialists also provided a HQ UI design to create a platform that entices a large audience and fosters long-term engagement. To create this featured solution, we’ve used the following tech stack and tools like Node.js, CloudFront, Lambada, Java, Kotlin, RXJava, Room, and so on.

As a result, the client obtained a properly updated feature-rich VOD streaming platform with its rental- and purchase-based revenue streams. Moreover, this service has cross-platform capabilities allowing the customer to boost their business growth and create long-term value through the effective digitalization of their business. What is more, Blockbuster became a leading service in the Nordic countries having more than 500,000 subscribers.

This is what Henrik Loop, CTO at Blockbuster, TDC, tells about working with our Cleveroad team on media software development: