New Design, New Functionality, New Whyd

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We’ve been quietly working on improvements for Whyd which hit the light of day yesterday. We are very proud to show off the new web version of Whyd, which brings the design in line with our iOS app and blog. You probably saw the changes! 

There are some big differences and some subtle changes. The overall design is cleaner, brighter, and largely more modern, eliminating the boxy feel the old version for a flatter design. We brightened the experience from the darker days of black and gray. 

Most importantly, we incorporated the ADD button into the search box, so now you can search for a track directly instead of clicking the button to add a track, then searching for it. Don’t worry, it’s the central feature of Whyd, we wanted to make it better and more intuitive! 

The new version also includes better navigation, with a drop down menu to access your playlists and the hot tracks from any page. We also opened the landing page so that people can see the tracks trending in our community without creating an account. 

In the next few weeks we will also release a new version of the bookmarklet which will let you import multiple tracks/entire playlists from different sources, so you can add everything you want to Whyd! 

We’d love to hear what you think, so tell us how you feel about the new version here: [tony at whyd dot com]

Never stop jamming! 

  • December, 2 2014
  • update
  • new blog
  • design
  • whyd
  • style guide

New Blog Design!

Look around you, notice anything different? As we modernize all of the Whyd properties, we are bringing everything in line with our style guide: large, beautiful images; a cleaner, brighter feel; and a simpler layout.

All of these elements are designed to put the content forward: to let our music lovers shine and to help our community more easily access the wealth of media that we have and continue to produce. Special thanks to Loïck for his vision and to Damien for putting it in place!  

Since the beginning of this blog back in 2012, we’ve featured hundreds of artists, playlists, and tracks of the weekend. We have made announcements and explained updates. We’ve pointed out funny things that happen too. And most importantly, we’ve laid out and reaffirmed our vision.

There are many exciting things coming to Whyd is 2015, and we can’t tell you enough how happy we are to have you with us.

Never stop jamming!

PS: Like the new design? Hate it? Tell us what you think [tony at whyd dot com]  

A TON of fresh, new, independent music: Welcome Jamendo!

Ladies and Gentlemen music lovers of Whyd, we have a big announcement for you! Today we’re proud to welcome another platform that is a treasure chest of independent music from all over the world. 

Having been around since 2004, Jamendo has been a home for independent musicians who are seeking alternatives to the traditional structure of music distribution. Jamendo helps artists reach new fans, license their music, and synchronize their tracks with advertisements, corporate videos, or even cinema. Jamendo’s emerging, innovative artists are exactly the type of musicians that Whyd music lovers will be happy to discover, scratching that remote itch in the back of the ear that comes from having unequaled music appetites. 

Now you can add any track you want from Jamendo, either with the [+ Add Track] button on the site or with the bookmarklet. We’re counting on you to help share these artists get their music out to the world! 

We encourage you to go and start exploring Jamendo now, as we will be launching a playlist contest next week featuring music from the platform. To get you started, here’s a Whyd playlist put together by the audiophiles on the Jamendo team! 

Never stop jamendoing! 

Say Hello To Jeremy, Whyd’s New Intern!

The changes at Whyd never seem to stop, as our team rotates around the world. Our own Loïck is checking out California right now and getting his San Francisco-hipster-coolkid-tech-designer injection. And today we welcome a brand new member of the Whyd team to our Paris office: our intern Jeremy. 

Jeremy will be helping our recommendation experts to understand how music is connected to other types of music, and to pull insanely huge amounts of data to glean insights that have never before been gleaned. He’ll be with us a few days per week as he continues his studies. 

If you’re wondering (and we know you are) Jeremy is a big fan of rock and metal, and he also likes techno when it gets more to the hardcore side of the electrospectrum. Subscribe to him on Whyd

Whyd On The Radio!

A little bit after 8 AM this foggy indian summer morning in Paris, our hipster leader headed over to the Mouv’ radio studio to present Whyd over the airwaves. Thanks to the Mouv’ team for the hospitality! 

  • August, 28 2014
  • update
  • gilles poupardin
  • whyd
  • whiteboard
  • news
  • teaser

iOS App V.2 is Out!

The Whyd iOS App has been out for about a month and half so far, and the reviews have been awesome. “Life-changing,” “the best music app out there,” and “I’m using Whyd more than Spotify,” are just a few examples of the praise from our music lovers. 

But like any V.1 there are limitations, and our mobile team consisting of Damien “Taylor Swift Code” Romito and Loïck “Dub was so 2013” Müller have been working like crazy to bring the Whyd app meet the social expectations it demands. 

The big news is that our famous “long tap” feature to like and re-add has been expanded to sharing. Now you can send your tracks - and entire playlists - to your friends on Whyd, Facebook, Twitter, and even via email or by SMS! Now, when you add a track that you know someone else will love, you can make sure they won’t miss it. And when your friend says, “yo man, I love this playlist,” you can send it to them directly, whether or not they have a Whyd account. 

The app also updates the player for better, continuous playback. 

PLEASE NOTE: For our music lovers who have already downloaded V.1, the new version tends to crash when you open the notifications in the update. We are working on a solution as quickly as possible, but if this happens to you, just delete the app and redownload it. The problem goes away and of course all of your music is still there! 

And, please keep giving us feedback so we can continue to improve the experience: tony at whyd dot com

1 MILLION TRACKS

When you are in a start up, it can be difficult sometimes. Watching the metrics sag, wondering about which feature will lead to explosive growth. Creating a road map and discarding it the next day. But sometimes, something happens that makes it all worth it, that gives you the confirmation that yes: what we are doing matters, and it’s working. Last night, we celebrated a major milestone, we surpassed 1,000,000 tracks added to Whyd

Our music lovers are the best on the planet, passionate about discovering the next awesome sound, and passionate about sharing those discoveries with everyone else. 1 million tracks later, we can say that the quality of music on Whyd is only improving: more activity means more discovery. More followers for our curators, a wider range of possibilities for our listeners. Tracks added from the web and now mobile. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thank you to our amazing community of curators for all the music you’ve shared with us. For a small little team split between Paris and San Francisco, crossing the millionth track added to Whyd is a game-changer. It powers us forward, to get to 10 million tracks added and to keep constructing a place that is dedicated to music and music lovers. 

With your help, we will get there. 

Never stop jamming! 

BBQ is Back! [PHOTOS]

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It’s been nearly two years since the infamous BBQ that crippled our ability to host parties in the little garden behind our incubator, but it was too nice of a day to sit by without pulling out the old charcoal and roasting some merguez. Damn it feels good to be a grillster. 

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Adrien making some serious bread:

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Getting that fire going:

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Hot day in Paris, perfect for beer and BBQ! 

Next week, get your iPhones ready

Nearly every single music lover on Whyd has asked for it, and what a long project it has been: expertly managed by our lead dev Adrien, beautifully crafted and polished by our lead design Loick, and meticulously constructed and optimized by our tireless mobile dev Damien all the way out in San Francisco, we are proud to announce to you, our faithful community, that the Whyd iOS app will be out next week!

The significance might be lost on some people, who just assume that everything should also come in app form. But music is social at its core, and it is inseparable from our favorite life experiences. Music accompanies us through the difficult times, through the laughs and joys, through the stress and anxiety, always there, always helping, always enriching. 

To bring the Whyd experience to mobile is to help you get the most from your moments in life, by making sure that you always have the right soundtrack. If you’re in Paris come to our launch party and Play Off on Sunday afternoon, June 22nd to celebrate with us! 

Never stop jamming!

PS: Yes, Android users out there, we know iPhones get all the cool apps first. But we are already developing the Whyd Android app, so have no fear!

PPS: Windows phone users might have to wait a little bit longer….