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.
- Product strategy
- UI/UX design
- Mobile development
- Web development
- Growth engineering
8,600+Tracks live on the platform in 5 months
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.
- Timeline
- 20 weeks
- Team
- 3 Engineers, 1 Designer, 1 Product Strategist, 1 Growth Specialist
The challenge
Music discovery is broken. Algorithms decide what we hear, not culture, not people. Independent artists remain invisible without labels, ad budgets, or data access. Fans feel disconnected from the artists they love.
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.
What changed
- 8,600+
- Tracks in the catalog
- 149
- Artists onboarded
- 5 mo
- From zero to live product
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 overwhelming. Hortensia helped us cut through the noise and focus on what mattered: a transparent ranking system and direct artist-fan connections.
The team didn't just build what we asked for, they challenged us. When we wanted to add too many features, they pushed back with data from user interviews. When we weren't sure about mobile-first, they showed us why it was the only choice for our market.
Five months later, we launched an alpha that's already resonating with artists in Tunisia. The technical foundation they built can scale globally, and the design became our brand identity. Hortensia didn't just build Stellify, they helped us discover what Stellify should be.
Strategy
We started with brutal prioritization. The vision was massive, too massive for a first version. Through user interviews with 25 Tunisian artists and 40 music fans, we identified the core problem:
Artists. "I have talent but no visibility. Playlists are pay-to-play. I need a fair shot."
Fans. "I want to discover new artists, not just what Spotify's algorithm pushes."
Key insight. Discovery isn't the only problem, lack of artist-fan connection is. Fans want to support artists directly, but platforms don't facilitate this.
Strategic decisions
Mobile-first, then web. Fans consume music on phones. Launch mobile app first, add web admin panel after
Focus on MENA region initially. Smaller market = easier to dominate, prove model, then expand globally
Three-sided marketplace. Artists, fans, and brands, but launch with artists + fans only (B2B comes later)
Gamification core to MVP. Ranking system, trending leaderboards, awards, this is the differentiator
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)
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.
Design highlights
Gradient Brand Identity
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.
Ranking Visualization
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)
Build
We chose React Native for mobile (single codebase, iOS + Android) and Next.js for web (same React components, SSR for SEO). Python scripts handled backend automation (ranking calculations, content moderation, data pipelines).
Technical highlights
Transparent Ranking Engine
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
Grow
Most agencies stop at launch. We helped Stellify build the growth systems needed for sustainable user acquisition and retention.
Alpha Launch (Tunisia)
Recruited 50 Tunisian artists to join before public launch
Pre-launch waitlist (800 fans signed up)
Launch event with live performances (streamed on Instagram)
PR outreach to local music blogs and media
Growth tactics
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")
Inside the product
Weekly artist rankings and a persistent player that never stops between pages.
Discovery tuned for a regional scene: latest, trending, and new stars.
A real catalog: 8,600+ tracks across 149 artists.
What we'd tell the next founder
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.
The stack
- React Native
- Next.js 14
- TypeScript
- Python
- FastAPI
- PostgreSQL 15
- Redis
- Stripe Connect
- AWS
