Stellify: Redefining Music Discovery and Engagement
From broken music discovery to transparent ecosystem—a platform where artists grow, fans engage, and culture drives what we hear.
What we set out to deliver
Clear objectives and deliverables that guided our work.
We helped Stellify build a mobile-first music discovery platform that puts artists in control of their careers. Launched with 500+ artists and achieved 60% higher engagement than industry benchmarks.
Impact at a glance
Measurable outcomes that demonstrate the success of our work.
Where it all
started
Music discovery is broken.
Algorithms decide what we hear—not culture, not people. Artists lose reach, fans lose connection, and brands lose authenticity. Independent artists stay unseen without labels, ad budgets, or data access.
The founding team came to us with a bold vision: restore fairness to music discovery through transparent rankings, community voting, and direct fan-artist engagement. Think Product Hunt meets Spotify, with gamification and crowdfunding built in.
The problem: • Unclear product scope: Music discovery? Artist promotion? Fan engagement? Crowdfunding? (Spoiler: all of it, but what's the MVP?) • Complex business model: Subscriptions, donations, tokens, B2B analytics—which revenue streams launch first? • Technical ambiguity: Real-time rankings? Data analytics? Payments? Each adds months of dev time • Market uncertainty: Launch in Tunisia (small market) or go global immediately? • Limited runway: $50K pre-seed needed to last through product launch and early traction
With no technical team and a 5-month timeline, they needed a partner who could turn a big vision into a focused product, build it right, and position it for growth in the MENA music market.
Research & Strategy
We started with brutal prioritization. The vision was massive—too massive for a first version.
MVP scope (what we built)
• Artist profiles with music uploads • Transparent ranking system based on engagement metrics • Fan subscriptions and donations (via Stripe) • Trending section (daily/weekly/monthly) • Gamification (badges, awards, levels) • Social features (follow, like, share)
Development & Engineering
We chose React Native for mobile (single codebase, iOS + Android) and Next. js for web (same React components, SSR for SEO).
Built custom algorithm that ranks artists based on
• Engagement metrics (plays, likes, shares, comments) • Growth velocity (trending up = boosted in rankings) • Fan actions (subscriptions, donations weighted heavier) • Time decay (recent activity matters more) Unlike Spotify's black-box algorithm, Stellify's ranking formula is public and auditable. Artists see exactly how they're ranked and what actions improve their position.
Real-Time Trending System
• Daily, weekly, and monthly leaderboards • Tracks 6.1K+ songs and 148 artists (alpha numbers) • Redis-powered caching for sub-100ms leaderboard loads • WebSocket updates for live ranking changes
Artist Profiles & Music Management
• Upload songs with metadata (title, genre, artwork) • Analytics dashboard (plays, engagement, revenue) • Artist verification system (badge for authentic accounts) • Direct fan messaging (future feature, infrastructure built)
Fan Subscription & Donation System
• Monthly subscriptions ($5, $10, $25 tiers) • One-time donations (any amount, processed via Stripe) • Unlock exclusive content (early releases, behind-the-scenes) • Automated payout system (artists get 85%, platform 15%)
Gamification Layer
• Badges for milestones (100 plays, 1K fans, verified artist) • Awards granted weekly based on rankings • Artist levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond) • Unlockable promotional tools as artists grow
UI/UX & Visual Design
Stellify needed to feel energetic, authentic, and artist-first—not corporate like Spotify, not amateur like SoundCloud. The gradient orange-to-pink-to-purple palette became iconic.
The signature orange → pink → purple gradient represents
• Energy of live music (orange) • Passion of artists (pink) • Depth of culture (purple) Used consistently across app, website, marketing materials.
Dark Mode by Default
Most music apps use dark themes (better for late-night listening, less eye strain). Stellify launched dark-first, with light mode optional.
Instead of just showing numbers, we visualized rankings with
• Animated position changes (climbed 5 spots = upward animation) • Color-coded trends (green = rising, red = falling) • S-curve charts showing artist growth over time • Comparative metrics (vs. similar artists)
Artist Profile Design
• Hero section with artist photo + cover image • Stats prominently displayed (plays, fans, ranking) • Music grid with play buttons (not list view—more visual) • Direct "Support Artist" CTA above the fold
Mobile-First UI Patterns
• Bottom navigation (thumb-friendly) • Swipe gestures (swipe between trending lists) • Large touch targets (min 44x44px) • Pull-to-refresh (native mobile pattern)
Launch & Growth
Most agencies stop at launch. We helped Stellify build the growth systems needed for sustainable user acquisition and retention.
Artist-Led Growth Loop
• Artists invite fans from Instagram/Facebook to Stellify • Fans subscribe/donate to support their favorite artists • Artists promote Stellify to acquire more fans (viral loop) • Network effects: More artists = more fans = more artists
Trending Leaderboard as Hook
• Daily trending list shared on social media • Artists promote their ranking ("I'm #12 on Stellify!") • Fans check rankings daily (habit formation) • Gamification drives engagement
Content Marketing
• Blog posts about music industry challenges • Artist success stories (interview series) • Behind-the-scenes content (how rankings work) • SEO-optimized guides ("How to promote your music in Tunisia")
Community Building
• Discord server for artists (500+ members) • Weekly AMAs with top-ranked artists • Artist support resources (marketing templates, promo tips) • Fan contests ("Share your favorite emerging artist")
See the difference
Visual proof of the improvements and impact we delivered.
From generic social media profile to immersive artist showcase with analytics.
Replaced algorithm-driven feed with transparent, community-ranked discovery.
See it in action
The transparent trending feed showing rising artists
Rich artist profiles with analytics and fan engagement metrics
Native mobile experience with immersive music playback
Real-time transparent ranking system with engagement metrics
Comprehensive analytics for artists to track their growth
Direct fan-to-artist connection through subscriptions and donations
Badges, awards, and levels to drive artist engagement
Iconic orange-to-purple gradient brand identity
The numbers that matter
Measurable outcomes that demonstrate the value delivered.
Organic growth, no paid acquisition
vs. industry average
To fuel MENA expansion
Growing daily
Premium tier adoption
Reliable music streaming
Hear it from them
Real feedback from the people we worked with.
“Hortensia transformed our ambitious vision into a real, working product. We came in with a massive idea—fix music discovery, empower artists, connect fans, add gamification, maybe blockchain? It was ...”
What we learned
Key takeaways and lessons from this project that inform future work.
Start Local, Think Global
Launching in Tunisia first let us iterate fast with a passionate early community. We proved the model in a smaller market before scaling to the broader MENA region.
Artists Are The Growth Engine
Every artist brings their fans to the platform. The platform grows when artists succeed—perfectly aligned incentives that create a viral growth loop.
Transparency Builds Trust
Publishing exactly how rankings work eliminated the "pay-to-play" suspicion that plagues competitors. Artists trust what they can verify.
Built with precision
The technologies and tools that powered this project.
More Work
Discover other projects that showcase our expertise and approach.
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