THOUSANDS OF SONGS IN ONE PLACE
The client's music catalogue offers direct music licenses protected from copyright claims. Content creators and professional storytellers can use their content without worrying about legalities. Platform's license covers worldwide copyright, meaning users can play their song anywhere and everywhere. Clients' platform provides soundtracks for movies, social media, trailers, TV shows, commercials, public spaces, podcasts and more.
Platform Components
- Backend Dashboard - back-office catalogue management
- Backend API - Interface for web & mobile app
- Frontend App - Responsive Web Design
- CMS - Content management system-based
- Mobile Application - Designed for iOS/Android
- Web Music Player - Customisable Javascript audio player
- Stripe - Subscriptions engine
- Amazon AWS - Infrastructure
- E-Commerce - Possibility to buy a license for a single-track
Core Features
- Music Catalog - the list of tracks combined with categories
- Login / Register - Authorisation & authentication module (with Social Auth)
- Reset Password
- My Account - User's page and account settings (downloads, likes, account deletion)
- Subscriptions - Easy, manageable subscription plans
- Search - with advanced filters by categories, genre, mood, BPM, and more
- Playlist - created by staff members or users themselves
- Liked songs - favourites module
- Downloads - possibility to download tracks to the device
- FAQ - Manageable frequently asked questions
- Contact Forms - Different Forms for personal or company use
- CMS Pages - Pages such as policy, about, and more
ABOUT
THE MUSIC LIBRARY FROM SCRATCH
The client's primary purpose in building the platform was to start selling licences online. The client had a well-prepared features list. Nevertheless, starting this project without splitting it into smaller parts was challenging. After the first discovery call, we knew the budget. The scope was still far from defined, but it was good enough to start implementing the very first components of the platform—for instance, Web Audio Player (read more). The project began in May 2022 and finished in September 2023.
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CHALLENGE
POC & MVP
One of the biggest challenges was to organise the project and split it into smaller parts. After a few workshops, we figured out how and where to start.
Some of the questions raised during the workshops:
- Can we estimate such a big project based on files provided by the client?
- Is the known budget enough to cover expenses for the first three months of development?
- How fast we can set up the team?
- Where do you start with these big topics in the scope?
- How to design a system to provide value for end-users?
These (and many more) questions headed us to the next steps, where we prepared a milestones plan like the below:
Milestone 0: Discovery
- Discovery Call - online meeting with the client to listen to their needs
- Discovery Analysis - Answering questions and collecting all of the information from the client and possible stakeholders
- Estimate - Business decisions and cooperation start
Milestone 1: Proof of concept
- UI - improving and polishing designs provided by the client
- DB API - Designing and implementing database structure
- Web Audio Player - Implementing proof of concept for audio player library
- CMS - Integrating an external CMS API with the platform
- Web App - Preparing frontend framework and implementing core features mocks
Milestone 2: MVP Building
- Backend API - Implementing the backend API (based on GraphQL)
- Subscriptions - Analysing and implementing the Stripe engine into the platform
- UX - Improving user experience
- Frontend Platform - Implementing core modules (auth, my account, search, and more)
- Imports - The client's database tracks imports
Milestone 3: Mobile App
- UI/UX - Designing new wireframes for the mobile app
- iOS/Android - Preparing the infrastructure
- Development - Coding an app based on the Flutter framework
Milestone 4: Pre Launch
- UI/UX - Redefining the base designs with a world-class UI/UX Designer
- iScala - Integrating Stripe Invoicing module with 3-rd party client's invoicing system
- AWS Infrastructure - Configuring development, staging and production environment
- RWD polishing
Milestone 5: MVP Launch
- Core Features Improvements
- Testing & bug fixing
- Start the platform online
Milestone 6: Handover
- Finalising documentation
- Training with the client's customer service
- Moving all of the project to the client's new team and infrastructure
Even though the client provided us with UI/UX designs, we had to solve many complex problems. UI/UX designs covered only half of the functionalities, and we had to precisely define user scenarios from dozens of cases. The second issue was that the client's UI/UX designer didn't cooperate with developers to validate if everything he designed was designed in a doable way. The third thing we could improve with the client was to publish the first results earlier and then improve the system with new deliverables. Thanks to this approach, we could have avoided unnecessary coding. Eventually, we implemented all the functions we assumed and added new features, e.g. additional validations and integrations with 3rd party providers.
SOLUTION
DELIVERABLES
Our solution was to prepare the central API so that consumers, like mobile and web apps, could read/write data. The main idea was to keep the front end and back end separated. Because of the limited budget, we decided to start with a monolith backend. We used well-known technologies and frameworks for developing the components of the platform:
- Backend - Python, Django
- Frontend - TypeScript and Vue.js
- CMS - Sanity.io
- API - Hasura, GraphQL
- Web Player - JavaScript, Vue.js
- Infrastructure - Amazon AWS, Dynamic Load Balancer
- Mobile App - Flutter framework
Each milestone had different challenges. Defined development process required a few tools, such as:
- Jira - Kanban (later Trello)
- Notion - The documentation space
- Slack - Common channel
- Github - Source code management
- Netlify - Frontend app building
- Stripe - Subscription and orders management
- BrowserStack - Performance and use case testing (from different locations)
- Sentry - Errors and event logging
- Uptime robot - Simplified Health checks
- Codemagic - Building iOS/Android apps
- Bitwarden - Password Manager
From the data schema perspective, the project was not complicated itself. The biggest challenge was custom, dedicated and complex business logic—for instance, some features were disabled for selected countries, and some were limited in the mobile app.
Bravelab.io was thoroughly engaged throughout the partnership, successfully delivering a fully-functioning MVP. The team's workflow was highly organized, and internal stakeholders were particularly impressed with the vendor's vast technical expertise and solutions.
Summary
MUSIC & WEB
Big projects come from big ideas. We were happy to work on this project from the first day. The project was a real challenge for us and the client. The value provided for the client's end-users - with high-quality content - was also essential. After many months of development, the project is live. End-users can buy licenses, browse catalogues and subscribe to monthly/yearly plans. The project had two significant parts:
- PoC & MVP - Fixed budget and defined scope for the first five months
- Post-MVP - Time and material for implementing, polishing and delivering features for the next seven months
During many months of development, the project engaged dozens of stakeholders. Around twenty-five people were involved. The core team consisted:
- Tech Lead & DevOps Expert
- Senior Backend Developer
- Regular Backend Developer
- Senior Frontend Developer
- Regular Frontend Developer
- UI/UX Designer
- Manual Tester
- Business Analytics
Our already prepared products helped us to focus on developing the custom business logic:
- Mobile App Sceleton for Music Catalogs
- Figma White-Label Music Platform (ask about more info)
- Backend API V1 (monolith). We're in the process of redesigning the core framework and migrating it into micro-services architecture (ask for more info)
Summarising: There are no perfect projects. Our transparent approach leads us to deliver software, and the client knows what, why, when and who does things. During the entire development process, we transfer all of the knowledge about the project to the client. For now, The client continues to maintain and develop the platform.
Bravelab continues to develop semi-products like Mobile White-Label Apps and Enterprise Commerce Platforms for Music Platforms V2. If you are interested in such solutions as this, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
Music Catalog with thousands of songs from world class composers, producers, bands, and artists
The work
The need
Solution
Gallery
Bravelab.io was thoroughly engaged throughout the partnership, successfully delivering a fully-functioning MVP. The team's workflow was highly organized, and internal stakeholders were particularly impressed with the vendor's vast technical expertise and solutions.
Outcome
PANTHEr
PRICING
Solidstudio
Talent Alpha
TEstimonials
SELECTED TESTIMONIALS FROM CLUTCH (4.9 ★) ↗
100% customer focus at all times, the whole team at Bravelabs.io held our hands at every stage, and their knowledge of the latest industry trends was really valuable.
Taking all the responsibility, I recommend Brave as a reliable and professional partner, who cares for and does everything to ensure that the service quality is very high.
Without the help of their team, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the goals we’d set. I work with them on a daily basis...
Our goal was to build a music platform enabling us to charge our customers in a subscription model and as one-off payments. Bravelab’s developers were super engaged. Thanks to their effort, we prepared MVP and started working on the marketing. The first biggest technology milestone was achieved during five months.
We’ve been cooperating with Brave since the beginning. What immediately catches attention is their diligence and perseverance with pursuing their goals as well as their conscientiousness
Bravelab delivered tasks on time, responded quickly to requests, and explained every detail of their methodology. I found them to be patient, respectful to my needs
CONTACT
LET’S TALK
FILL IN THE FORM BELOW, OR REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY — OFFICE@BRAVELAB.IO
