Spring Cleaning Week (part 1, part 2, part 3) concludes with Teddy, a music sharing app inspired by how you text with friends.
I love the surprise and serendipity of songs that friends send me out of the blue. It’s my favorite way to discover new music.
I have a few “music friends” like this and I wondered what it would feel like to share this interaction with many people around the world … with people I don’t know … and where the only messages would be songs—a kind of universal exchange beyond language.
Say hello to Teddy. Teddy is a little buddy (in the shape of an app) who sends you music shared by other people. It’s like texting with a friend about songs … only now that friend might be anyone in the world.
Teddy is available via TestFlight for now:
Step 1:
Install TestFlight on your iPhoneStep 2:
Open this link to install Teddy via TestFlight
Like many of my projects, Teddy sits somewhere between social art and social product. It’s intentionally basic, small in scope and it certainly can’t mirror all aspects of a true music friend.
But still, it was a fun and refreshing exercise to design a tool through the lens of a personified buddy: Giving the tool a first name, giving it a voice, thinking about interactions not as navigation flows but as a back-and-forth between two conversation partners. I think we’ll see a lot more apps with first names in the future—and I’m excited about that.
A few more things about Teddy:
Where do the songs come from?
All songs are shared by real people from all around the world.
Does Teddy send the same songs to everyone?
No. Teddy chooses songs for you based on the feedback you give, so everyone's selection is different.
How often will Teddy send me songs?
Teddy regularly sends songs a few times a week. If you want Teddy to send you a song sooner, just share a song first—he'll reply shortly.
Do I need a music service subscription to use Teddy?
Right now Teddy only works with Spotify. You'll need an active Spotify account to listen to the songs Teddy sends you.
Does Teddy have siblings?
Not yet—but stay tuned.
Where does Teddy go on vacation?
Usually someplace quiet, with trees.