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Entrepreneur Darren Westlake's Frustration with Music Streaming Algorithms

Darren Westlake, entrepreneur and founder of Disco, a new social media app focused on music discovery, expresses his frustration with the limitations of current music streaming algorithms. He argues that these algorithms, while intended to recommend new music, often fail to deliver truly diverse or unexpected suggestions.

• Westlake believes that the algorithms primarily suggest artists that sound similar to those already in a user's listening history, limiting the potential for discovering genuinely new and different music.
• He compares the current state of music discovery to a time when people discovered music through personal connections and shared playlists, a method he believes provided a richer and more diverse experience.

Disco: A Social Media App for Music Discovery and Sharing

Disco aims to address the shortcomings of music streaming algorithms by providing a platform for users to share their musical tastes and discover new artists based on the recommendations of their friends and connections.

• The app acts as a "musical version of Instagram," allowing users to follow each other's listening habits and share their favorite tracks.
• This approach, according to Disco's research, resonates with many music streamers who find it difficult to discover new music and crave a more human-curated experience.

Disco's Features and Potential

Disco offers a range of features designed to facilitate music discovery and sharing.

• Users can see what their friends have recently listened to and comment on the music.
• The app integrates with Spotify, enabling users to directly listen to the music shared by their friends.
• Disco provides a continuous stream of new music recommendations based on the listening habits of the user's network.

Entrepreneur Darren Westlake's Background and Experience

Darren Westlake, the entrepreneur behind Disco, is best known for his role as the founder of Crowdcube, a successful equity crowdfunding platform. Crowdcube has played a significant role in supporting the growth of early-stage companies, including notable ventures like Monzo, Revolut, and Chilango.

Disco's Funding Round and Monetization Strategies

Disco is launching its first funding round on Crowdcube, aiming to raise at least £150,000 from investors. The company is seeking to prove its viability as a commercial proposition beyond its appeal for small groups of friends.

• Westlake envisions several monetization strategies, including partnerships with gig ticket and merchandise sellers, upselling services through streaming platforms, leveraging data insights, and implementing a freemium model.

Early Adoption and Future Prospects

Disco has soft-launched earlier this year to test the market and currently has around 500 users. Westlake reports positive feedback from early adopters, with a significant number becoming regular users.

• Disco aims to solve a common problem for music enthusiasts – finding artists they've never heard of but will undoubtedly love.