Amazon Music

BeatDrop—Reimagining social music experiences through human curation and AI-powered mixing

UX Research, UX Design, Interviews, Product Design, Prototyping

Winner, Amazon Music Challenge 2025

Think about the last time you were at a party. Someone controlled the music while everyone else just had to accept whatever played. The controller was stressed about keeping everyone happy, and guests felt disconnected from the experience.

Music should bring us together, but current streaming platforms keep us in isolated bubbles. The algorithm gives us what we like individually, but loses the shared experience that makes music meaningful.

Team Manvi Tandon, Uraiba Zafar, Rohini Raj

Role UX Researcher and Designer working in a team

Duration 1 months (Feb'25—March'25)

The Market Gap

The streaming landscape is dominated by personalization:

  • Spotify excels at algorithmic recommendations
  • Apple Music focuses on curated playlists
  • YouTube Music leverages video content

Through desk and Voice of Customer research we realized that none effectively capture the magic of creating music experiences together. In our user research, 80% of respondents said they miss the collaborative aspect of music sharing.

Customer Problem Statement

The core problem: Music streaming has become efficient but lost its social soul.

Music, historically, has brought people together, but current streaming platforms keep us in isolated bubbles. The algorithm personalizes taste individually, but loses the shared experience that makes music meaningful

01
"I want my taste to matter at gatherings but don't want to be stuck as the DJ all night."
—an interview participant
02
"I miss making mixtapes for friends—streaming made sharing easy but less meaningful."
—an interview participant
03
"When I discover a great song, I want to share it in context, not just send a link."
—an interview participant
The Process

We used the Double Diamond approach in our process

1
Discover

We conducted user interviews and surveys to understand pain points with current music streaming experiences.

2
Define

We identified key insights and defined our core opportunity around collaborative music experiences.

3
Develop

We prototyped collaborative music features with AI-powered mixing capabilities.

4
Deliver

We refined our solution into BeatDrop, which balances human curation with AI technology.

Understanding our Users

Our research revealed four key personas that shape our solution:

Manvi (Event Host)

Goal: everyone feels included and represented
Motivation: wishes to be present with guests, not stuck managing music

Rohini (Casual Listener)

Goal: easily participate in music experiences
Motivation: quality sound and seamless technology integration

Uraiba (Music Enthusiast)

Goal: recognition for distinctive taste and influencing the vibe
Motivation: introducing friends to new artists

Simran (Non-subscriber)

Goal: discover new music through friends and build new memories
Motivation: sharing social experiences with friends
Core Opportunity

How might we transform individual song selections into collaborative musical journeys that strengthen social bonds, create lasting memories, and grow organically through real-life social interactions?

The Solution

Introducing BeatDrop

BeatDrop reimagines shared music experiences by combining human curation with AI technology. The platform allows friends to contribute songs to a collective playlist, which an AI DJ transforms into a cohesive, professional-quality mix.

This creates a social music discovery platform that preserves human taste and connection while leveraging technology to create polished listening experiences.

The Magic Moment

Now imagine this:

You arrive at your friend's place for a dinner party.

There's a song playing that reminds you of a warm summer night out you spent together just a few months ago...
You scan the QR code on the TV and add a song from that night to the mix.

You're enjoying your time with your friends as you hear the playlist seamlessly transition to your song, and their eyes light up in recognition. The group shares a moment of connection and nostalgia - your musical tastes bridging into a shared experience.

This "come-together moment" is the emotional core of BeatDrop, where individual expressions become collective joy.

Press the play button to try

User Journeys
Picture this: It’s Friday night and Manvi is hosting a house party for her friends
→

1
Manvi (Event Host)
2
Uraiba (Music Enthusiast)
3
Rohini (Casual Listener)
4
Simran (Non-subscriber)
Beyond Audio

The Full Sensory Experience

BeatDrop is aimed at being an immersive experience. With voice control options as well. Users could say things like “Alexa, who picked the song?” or “Alexa, remember this moment” which would then bookmark that exact moment on the mix for the user to come back to later.

Core Features
Collaborative Contribution

Collaborative Contribution

Low friction participation, through QR-based guest access and easy onboarding.

Gamification

Gamification

Users shape the vibe by liking/disliking songs, tweaking mood & energy.

Echo and Alexa Integration

Echo and Alexa Integration

Hands-free control enhances experience.

Post-Event Retention

Post-Event Retention

Users save the mix and relive the party experience by revisiting memories.

AI Powered Mixing

AI Powered Mixing

Professional-quality transitions without DJ skills. Intelligent sequencing creates emotional journeys.

User Testing

What our testers said:

01
"If I was hosting a party I would absolutely quickly create and share this to offload the responsibility."
—user tester
02
"I would save the playlist from my friend's party. Those songs would mean something special to our group."
—user tester
03
"Usually one person controls the aux cord and everyone else just has to deal with it. This actually lets everyone have a voice without turning into musical chaos."
—user tester

We conducted tests with 15 participants aged 18-34, with 93% expressing high interest in using BeatDrop, and 40% indicating willingness to pay for premium features.

Growth Strategy

BeatDrop grows through authentic social moments:

This creates an acquisition model based on meaningful connections rather than advertising.

BeatDrop directly addresses Amazon Music's key retention challenges:

→

1
Increased Playback Frequency

Social obligation creates regular listening occasions

Increased Playback Frequency
2
Higher Subscription Upgrades

Clear premium value through feature differentiation

Higher Subscription Upgrades
3
Longer Session Duration

Continuous mixed playback eliminates breaks between tracks

Longer Session Duration
4
Ecosystem Benefits

Drives Echo device purchases and usage

Ecosystem Benefits
Beyond Audio

BeatDrop Use Cases

Longer Session Duration

Study session solo listening

For moments you want to set a vibe and let AI DJ take over

Longer Session Duration

Workout class attendees creating a playlist

The link for contribution could be available at sign up, or a QR code at check-in

Longer Session Duration

On-the-go mix creation in an Uber ride

Passengers throughout the day can contribute to an Uber car's DJ mix, with the driver setting the vibe.

Longer Session Duration

Restaurant mix to transition from daytime to nighttime

Places that go from day to night can adjust their vibe throughout the day.

Longer Session Duration

Coffee shops lofi beats mix

Any song added to a mix with a clear vibe will be edited and mixed to match that.

Longer Session Duration

Bar - immersive musical experience with customers

Bringing back the JukeBox but better.

Longer Session Duration

Formal DJ set creation for new artists

Up and coming artists can use BeatDrop as a tool to hone their skills.

Longer Session Duration

Retail store brand mix

Stores can extend their branding into the music space.

Longer Session Duration

Virtual Reunion

Friends in different places can contribute tracks to a shared BeatDrop mix that plays synchronously during video calls

BeatDrop

The Big Picture: BeatDrop isn't just a feature—

Today's Reality
Algorithms isolate users in personal preference bubbles
BeatDrop Solution
Transform individual selections into collaborative journeys
Emotional Impact
Create connections that make Amazon Music indispensable

BeatDrop brings back the joy of shared musical discovery

Prototype

See BeatDrop in action

We created a high-fidelity interactive prototype to demonstrate the core user flows and functionality of BeatDrop. The prototype showcases how users can create mixes, invite friends, and experience the collaborative music journey.

Check out our interactive prototype↗ to see the full experience.

Reflection

What I learned

This project taught me the value of balancing technological innovation with human connection. By focusing on the emotional core of music sharing—the "come-together moment"—we created a solution that enhances rather than replaces the social aspects of music.

The most challenging aspect was designing an AI system that felt collaborative rather than controlling. We found that giving users clear attribution and control over their contributions while automating the technical aspects of mixing struck the right balance.

If I were to continue this project, I would explore additional sensory integration options and conduct more extensive testing across different social contexts and age groups to further refine the experience.

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