College is a time when many young people find the freedom to explore their creative side and produce art across every medium. However, it is not always easy for them to connect with others pursuing the same passions. The new app Quadio has gained recent popularity across college campuses for its unique approach to music streaming that hopes to solve this problem.
Developers Joe and Marcus Welch built the service in reaction to their difficulties connecting with artists like themselves at their universities. After about a year of work, the East Coast company has recently focused its efforts in the Midwest. At MU, this came in the form of a few campus representatives who are working to spread the word about Quadio.
Junior music major Anna Yannessa was contacted over winter break to be recruited as a campus rep. Although she was initially skeptical, she has come to be passionate about the opportunities Quadio offers to college musicians. Now, she hopes that advocating for the app will help her get back in touch with her creative side.
“I’ve kind of put the creative aspect of music on the back burner because I’m so focused on my studies and everything I have to do academically with music,” Yannessa said. “Since I sing too, and I write music, this is something that I’ve always wanted.”
Yannessa explained that the role of the campus reps is to build excitement across campus for the release of the full app and desktop versions, which is set for mid-February. Currently, Quadio is in a beta version. All that is needed to experience the app now, though, is a university email address and an access code.
“You make a profile, it’s really easy, you can say as much or as little as you want, and then you just surf and figure it out for yourself and make it your own,” Yannessa said.
Once logged in, there is no difference in user experience between profiles using the app to simply listen or to produce music of their own. Students can discover new artists nationally, regionally, within their state and even specific to their university. Searches can be filtered by genre, popularity and even positions that artists need filled. This way, music lovers can find new songs or artists they enjoy, and artists can find inspiration, exposure and even new band members or producers.
“There is such great music being made by college students right now, and we hope the Quadio user experience is really easy and fun for both artists and listeners,” Quadio Board Chairman Suzy Welch said in an email.
Sophomore Mitch Broddon takes advantage of both facets of the app, coupling his role as campus rep with his position as the guitarist for MU-based band Post Sex Nachos. With the launch approaching, he discussed ways to use his position as one of the more popular bands on campus to spread the word about what the app offers.
“I think the coolest direction to go is to get a bunch of bands that end up being on Quadio and, very close to the launch, we’d set up a show where those bands play,” Broddon said. “Why not try and distribute our music to a different audience, especially a local audience?”
Quadio aims to create an environment that supports local community, creative collaboration and easy discovery, setting it apart from existing streaming services. To try it out for themselves, students can reach out to a campus rep for an access code or keep an eye out for the free version later this month.
_Edited by Sophie Stephens | sstephens@themaneater.com_