Is Audiomod the future of streaming, or just the beginning?

In February 2024, Audiomack launched a groundbreaking feature: Audiomod, which allows users to modify songs on the platform, with control over speed, distortion, reverb, delay, pitch, and more. Not only that, but users can also share their song versions with others.

It is hard to ask for a clearer indication of bifurcation theory, which is separating lean-back, LISTEN platforms from lean-in, PLAY ones — the latter collapsing creation, consumption, and fandom expression into one. Audiomod also corrects misunderstandings about fan remixing, which are reflected in many labels’ current approach: releasing many versions of the same song, including sped-up, slowed-down, a cappella, and instrumental, to streaming. Not only does this, ironically, add to the oversaturation problem that labels love to moan about, but it also misses the point. Consumers do not only want modified versions handed to them. They also — perhaps more so — want to modify the music themselves. 

Audiomack is carving out a space for itself smack dab in the middle of the PLAY and LISTEN spheres: the rare music streaming platform that invites users to lean in. This is not the first time Audiomack has differentiated itself through lean-in fandom, including launching artist “support badges” for users to purchase and display on their profiles in 2021. These innovations work particularly well on streaming platforms with smaller userbases (compared to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music), because niche audiences tend to be more engaged. Audiomack is becoming a space for music superfans to thrive. 

Still, Audiomod is just the beginning. The next stage for PLAY will be tools that allow users to entirely deconstruct and reconstruct individual songs. But even that is not far-reaching enough. Imagine if all artists — or at least the daring ones — released the building blocks of their songs for users to remix together, creating a giant music sandbox for fans to play in. If this sounds far-fetched, just consider how quickly Audiomack has already actualised the first step.