How to Build your own audio streaming website?

As technologies have evolved, physical audio recordings have become outdated. With the number of consumers listening to music streaming services on the rise, music will never go out of the entertainment trend.

By AMANDA SMITH

Audio streaming websites have changed how music is consumed and purchased; numerous apps mushroom in app stores every year. Talking about audio streaming websites, the services are as diversified as the music itself. Let’s get started with the process of creating an audio streaming website. 

How to build your own audio streaming app?             

When creating an audio streaming platform that allows users to stream songs of their choice and create playlists based on musical preferences, there are many things to consider. To begin with, analyze the type of website you want to make. The following are some of the common types of streaming audio services:

• Music library: You can build a server-based music library and offer access to your customers under specific conditions, free, partially free, or for flat-rate access—for example, Spotify. 
• Cloud storage: You can offer cloud storage using an audio-streaming server software to allow users to store their audio clips and stream them anywhere and anytime- for example, SoundCloud.
• Theme radio stations: You can create a website to connect radio stations together and offer the ability to stream to home audio, mobile devices, or PC—for example, Pandora. 

The process and strategy of creating an audio streaming website depend on the type of streaming app you want to build. The next important thing to consider is the features your website is going to have. You can offer simple audio streaming services to live music streaming considering your customers’ needs and your business goals. A good audio streaming software can help you incorporate the essential features and functionality an audio streaming service required.

Here are some of the essential features you must consider adding to your audio streaming site. 

Must-have features for an audio streaming website

The development process can vary according to the set of features you want to have for your audio streaming site. Study about your target audience, define the buyer persona and prepare a pitch accordingly to choose the best features to offer to your audience. 

The following are some of the essential features you must have in your streaming application. 

User registration and authentication

Technically a registration process is not mandatory to give users access to your audio streaming platform. However, if you plan to offer premium features or want to create playlists’ functionality, registration is a must-have feature. You can also include the option of social network authentication via Google or Facebook accounts. 

Design

How to captivate your customers with your music streaming site? The best way is to implement a compelling design and interface. Add some appealing visual effects to make your website stand out and attract more users.

Search

Users will like to access your website to listen to their favourite audio tracks and find new ones. They might also want to search for a particular track by artist, album, title, or genre. When you want to create a website like SoundCloud, offer intuitive search functionality, and offer recommendations based on their previous searches or playlists. 

Adding to playlists

The functionality to create playlists is an essential feature in any audio streaming website or application. Users must be able to create and edit playlists and store their favourite songs in a single place. 

Online and offline access

Offering both online and offline access is a feature that is worth implementing when you build an audio streaming service. If a user can’t go online quickly and still wants to access the playlists, giving offline access allows them to store a local copy of the track in their library and enjoy music without an internet connection. 

Uploading music

Following the offerings by audio streaming services like SoundCloud, you can also provide the ability to upload audio tracks to your users. However, ensure that you are able to handle the licensing in the right way. 

Personalization

Who doesn’t like to feel special? Allow users to personalize their profiles with their favourite songs, based on the place, weather, user’s mood, etc. You just have to integrate the suitable controllers while creating a website like Soundcloud.

How to build an audio streaming app in a fast and cost-efficient way?

Building a fully functional audio streaming site can get costly and time-consuming. The time and cost can vary considerably depending on the feature list and the hourly rate of developers you choose. The cost can come around $100,000-$150,000 or even more. If that sounds pricey, worry not; there are fast and cost-efficient streaming app development methods to build your own music streaming website. Check out for a white label solution or an audio streaming software that can save you $40,000 or more for a minimum viable product. 

Monetization models to follow

In 2019, global music streaming revenue reached $20.9 billion. This indicates that, more than ever, people prefer paying for audio streaming services rather than separate music tracks. Therefore, audio streaming apps have huge revenue potential and can generate a steady amount of income without additional efforts. Popular music streaming apps like Soundcloud and Spotify earn most of their revenue from premium subscriptions and Ads. 

Generally, there are three main ways to make money with your audio streaming website. 

— Ads: Offer free access to your services if your users don’t mind listening to advertisements. You can set the frequency of ads; for example, place ads after every five songs. 
— Subscription: Offer Subscription-based access to your services. It can offer access to premium features or unlimited access to songs for a monthly, quarterly, or yearly price. 
— Pay-per-track: Allow users to purchase music that they can either store it on the website or download it to the device of their choice. 

Conclusion

Ready to build your own audio streaming website? The music industry is revolutionizing. More brands are apparently seeking to invest in the audio streaming industry. However, the accomplishment of a website for audio streaming greatly depends on the features and functionalities it offers. Before getting into creating your own streaming service, think about the unique features you can provide to your audience to differentiate yourself in the industry. Ensure that you get the licensing rights as it directly implicates the quality of your audio catalogue.