When thinking about the way individuals engage with music nowadays, it’s not a controversial statement to say we have come a long way decade after decade. This product that I developed and prototyped for my New Product Development class is a celebration of music consumption with a dash of data literacy. I had a great time being explorative in research and creating a product that I believe would be very successful in market. 

A familiar face of home entertainment systems is the Stereo Tower. These hubs were extremely useful to music lovers of the past, who had music in multiple forms (records, tapes, CDs, even radio) but needed only one central location to have it all under control. 

Stereo towers were treated like exquisite pieces of furniture because their function was so important to their owners. They weren’t just made to be a handsome fit in living rooms and dens, but they were made to enhance the listening experience. 

Something that completely disrupted the music industry (after the CD boom) was the Internet. The release of music online affected music lovers who could not only connect with music they haven't heard in years because they didn’t have the physical form of it, but it also exposed users to music they would not have listened to in the first place. The spread and discussion of all forms of music dramatically increased, and a new culture around music entered a digital age. 

The internet enabled people to create fictional feelings of ambience and nostalgia around music as well, and so the playlist was popularized among the masses. While essentially having the same mechanics of a burned CD or a custom tape, the internet allowed the frequency of these playlists to be made way more often, almost immediately. Users could dream about what it would sound like to be in a Paris cafe with light rain outside, studying hard for an exam, or any situation they wanted to imagine. 

One thing a majority of modern music lovers look forward to is the release of Spotify Wrapped. This annual report gives individual users a glimpse into what their year sounded like based on the trends from their listening habits. This use of personalized data visualization had (and still has!) Spotify users excited and intrigued about what their music says about them. It is definitely a smart move by Spotify to keep users loyal and listening. 

The success of Spotify Wrapped also says a lot for how consumers understand data in the Information Age. Consumers are always more inclined to partake in a product if it feels personal for them. Online users have noticed when “their algorithms” are specifically targeting them when the shown content is something they resonate with. You may have heard the phrase “my algorithm knows me so well” in recent conversations. The power of machine learning for individual use is becoming more powerful and relevant.

This, combined with the internet enabling shoppers to conduct research before deciding to invest, is the typical path of any consumer nowadays. This even goes beyond online research of reviews and comparing prices; When we are contemplating making a purchase we talk about it with those closest to us to reassure the purchase will be worthwile to our lives. To tie this back to the relevance of music consumption, we find ourselves at the pain point: 

How can the power of personal recommendations based on algorithms meet consumers in a casual and entertaining way? 

Since consumers are always interested in learning more about themselves, and music is a form of identity with users, I would like to introduce to you... 

Ambio: The Home Audio Companion. 

Four out of ten households have a smart speaker. 

13% of all consumers bought a Bluetooth speaker in response to the pandemic.

Audio streaming is complimentary entertainment- it is consumed while performing other tasks. 

18-24 year olds are the highest volume of streamers.

Power of Live-Concerts and events have adjusted to remote streaming.

Power of Free-Pandora leads the streaming service market. 

As the pandemic shifted the way people go about their routines, their listening routines were disrupted as well. A major listening activity - driving - was originally hard hitting for streaming platforms, but consumers very quickly adjusted to new schedules and routines for listening with at-home activities, which included cleaning, relaxing, studying, cooking, and now working from home.  

One aspect that affects the streaming industry is the way live events are now consumed as well. Numerous artists and musicians have experimented with performing on platforms like Twitch for live interactions with viewers, or even in video games like Fortnite and Minecraft. The potential for live events in the digital space is still transforming.

Another important element of the streaming industry is its current leader: Pandora. If you are an avid Spotify user, this may come as a surprise to you. The answer to how Pandora dominates is simple: It’s a completely free platform at the cost that you can’t pick one specific song.

The primary market for Ambio would be older Gen Z and Millennial consumers, aged 24-45. The smart speaker market increased to $15.6 Billion by 2020 (Statista), and the number of Millennials in the market constitutes around 25-30% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census). These individuals have an established income and are more often homeowners and settled in one home location. They seek to improve their spaces, especially with the pandemic shifting their activities and listening habits. This eager response to finding happiness and normalcy in new routines would mean Ambio would appeal to these consumers.

The secondary market for Ambio would be Gen Z aged between 18-24. There are more than 30 million consumers in this market, making this segment around 10% of the U.S. population (NCES). Even though this segment was the hardest hit by the pandemic with unemployment rates, these individuals are entering the workforce and are looking to make worthwhile investments for their homes and spaces. The 18-24 year old segment also contains the highest volume of music streamers, as they not only listen to music on multiple devices and services (paid and free), they pair music with what activity they are performing at the time.

How Would It Work? An Introduction to Scrobbling

Ambio’s purpose is to intuitively play music that a user would normally be playing at a certain time, and maybe even with a certain activity. So, how would Ambio know what to play for you? The process of recording data from your streaming habits comes from a technology called Scrobbling. Scrobbling, a tracking plug-in, takes note of what artist you listen to at a certain time of day, and even how much of the song you listened to, common artists and genres, and how often you listen to the song.

Scrobbling was invented in 2002 and made commercialized by a still living service called last.fm. A subscription and installing the plug-in onto your streaming services (as it is compatible with most -if not all- services) allows users to view all of their personal information, and even recommend what to listen to next based on their habits. This technology, along with users noting what activity they were performing at the time, would be how Ambio would operate.

Possible users of Ambio were shown two physical forms and three digital interfaces.

The first physical form was liked for its touch screen capabilities, the sleekness of the design, and how it resembles other devices, but was disliked for feeling bulky, the direction of the speakers being confusing, and uncertainty with where in the home it would be placed. 

The second body was well received by consumers. The glass screen communicated a futuristic feel and consumers liked the idea of it changing colors. While the second body was more liked, some concerns that came from this body was the portability of it, and the size of the speaker stand limiting the quality of sound.

The digital face prototypes all featured items like the Current Song playing, what song is up next, the date and time, and the Listening Clock. The Listening Clock is a unique feature of Ambio that highlights the genres/artists that you listen to throughout the day, and previews what is suggested for that time period. The hours are displayed in six-hour segments for an up-close look at the most active listening hours, and the amount of time scrobbling music. 

Factors that differentiate these prototypes are the Social sections (items like Total Tracks Listened To This Week and Discovered New Artists This Week) in the first iteration, the more Personal Data sections (items like Weekly New Discovered Artists and Total Weekly Listening Time) in the third iteration, and just the Now Playing and the Listening Clock in the second version. 

The majority of feedback from these faces preferred the simplicity of the second face. Users were interested in the informative sections; the Social section in particular had a positive view from users.

The final version of Ambio would have the second face as its main page, and be scrollable to access the other sections of information. It also features a combination of the two speaker types, with the base being more triangular to support a higher-quality speaker. 

By being a modern iteration of music entertainment systems and personalized data hub, consumers will understand that Ambio elevates one’s experience with music. Since we are listening to music constantly, people will gain interest in what their trends look like throughout the day, not just once a year. Digital marketing will be heavily utilized to speak awareness of the Ambio to its Internet-based prospective consumers.

-Practical for at-home listening

-Modern way to interact with music

-Popularizes data literacy

-Seeks to be truly “complimentary” with all activities

-Easily connects to all streaming service

Branding for Ambio will be coming soon. Throughout the process, I found three main archetypes it could follow: Data-centered, Personal-centered, and Music-centered. As there are many forms Ambio can take, I seek to update this page soon with explorations. 

Thank you so much for viewing!