Everyone has heard of the dating app mainstays such as Bumble, Tinder, Grindr, eHarmony, and OkCupid. Those are traditional dating apps for the most part, and despite their unique spins on the traditional dating theme, they don’t stand out as unique experiences.
However, we’ve finally gotten a fresh new spin on the traditional formula: Music-based dating apps. These unique takes on matchmaking have popped up here and there over the last few years, and while there aren’t many options available right now, the ones that do exist are seeing massive boosts in users.
Music-Based Dating Apps
Are they here to stay, though? To figure that out, let’s go over what a music-based dating app is, what the genre aims to achieve, and a few key points I think make a big difference in the dating world. Music-based dating apps aren’t complicated.
While each of the limited options available uses a slightly different theme or setup, they all use your musical preferences to show potential matches what you’re all about. When you sign up, you won’t be asked 50-million personal questions that get chucked into an algorithm to pair you up with people who answered similarly.
You’ll either fill out your musical preferences, or you’ll connect the app to a popular music platform such as Spotify. Then, your music history and preferences will be chucked into the digital sphere for other audiophiles to browse. This may sound like a horrible way to start dating someone, but there’s a pretty solid concept behind it: music can be deeply personal to each person listening to it.
One’s choice in music tends to reflect their personality and lifestyle a lot more than you may think. Now that you know what a music-based dating app is, it’s time to get into the different perks the genre offers that you may not be aware of. As it turns out, there are a lot of things working in favor of music-based apps.
Think about how often your taste of music kicks off a relationship. Maybe when you were a freshman in college you felt like a small fish in a vast ocean, and then the sound blaring from your AirPods helped you make a friend? Maybe a boring date got turned around because one of you mentioned a band you mutually enjoy? Music brings people together in, and out, of the dating world.
Music-based dating apps capitalize on this innate capability of music to make striking up a conversation easier, and it takes a lot of the awkward discomfort out of sending that first DM. One thing that music-based dating apps provide, that other dating apps don’t, is a genuine look into the other person’s personality before you even talk to them. Think about it. When you use Tinder, you’re just going off of photos and cheeky quips.
When you use eHarmony, you have to trust that the person answered their questionnaire honestly. In short, most dating sites inadvertently allow people to portray themselves however they want, and it doesn’t have to be honest. Music-based dating apps, especially ones that are linked to music platforms people use every day, are a lot more genuine.
You can often learn a lot more about a person by looking at their Spotify records than you can by reading several paragraphs of carefully worded, cherry-picked, self-praise. Have you ever tried signing up for a traditional dating service? Sure, Tinder is pretty quick, but that’s more for casual hookups. Signing up for something like eHarmony can take forever, and oftentimes, the quality of your matches doesn’t reflect that long preparation phase.
With a music-based dating app, you plug in your music preferences or link a music platform you use, answer a couple of basic questions, and bam: You’re ready to start looking for your next date. Most dating app developers want you to use their app and their app only. That helps them stuff more money in their pockets, but it doesn’t help you find meaningful companionship. Music-based dating apps aren’t like that.
Music-based dating apps are generally meant to be used alongside the apps you already enjoy
Think of them as accessory apps. They provide a little something special that you don’t get from eHarmony and other options. Right now, there are only a handful of legitimate options available. However, new ones are popping up pretty frequently.
In fact, by the time this article is published, POM will be launched to the public, and there is a lot of hype surrounding it. This also means you can get in on the fun while companies are trying their best. Later on, there will likely be hundreds, if not thousands, of the low-quality clones and spinoffs that plague other types of dating apps
At first glance, music-based dating looks like a cheap gimmick. There are few options available, none of the platforms can match the massive user bases of industry giants, and some folks don’t put a lot of value in musical taste. However, music-based dating apps offer a unique, genuine insight into the personality of every match you get, are easy to use, and are designed to co-exist with industry mainstays.
Because of this, I not only think they’re here to stay, but I think anyone interested in online dating should be trying them out now; before everyone catches on and the market is saturated.
Rachel Hall, M.A., completed her education in English at the University of Pennsylvania and received her master’s degree in family therapy from Northern Washington University. She has been actively involved in the treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, and coping with life changes and traumatic events for both families and individual clients for over a decade. Her areas of expertise include narrative therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and therapy for traumatic cases. In addition, Rachel conducts workshops focusing on the psychology of positive thinking and coping skills for both parents and teens. She has also authored numerous articles on the topics of mental health, stress, family dynamics and parenting.
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