WAVE
WAVE
A human-first social music platform that aims to rethink how we discover, listen to, share, & support music (and music culture) online—and new kind of digital social space, building upon learnings and data from the past decade-and-a-half of known negative impacts of traditional social media
Company:
Company:
Wave
Wave
Role:
Role:
Founder, UX/UI Design, UX Research
Founder, UX/UI Design, UX Research
Date:
Date:
2023 - Present
2023 - Present
Music connects us. Wave is a human-first social music platform rethinking how we discover, share, and support music online.
Music connects us. Wave is a human-first social music platform rethinking how we discover, share, and support music online.
In the years since streaming became the dominant mode of music consumption, I’ve been increasingly concerned with how the social and emotional core of music has been lost. I experienced this firsthand while helping concept early versions of Apple Music back in 2014—where social discovery features I had designed were ultimately deprioritized in favor of editorial and algorithmic curation. That decision stuck with me.
At the same time, the past decade has also exposed the cracks in traditional social media. Feeds optimized for engagement, not meaning. Spaces where political discourse, disaster coverage, and memes all collide in a single undifferentiated stream. It’s exhausting—and worse, it’s unsustainable.
Wave started as a personal response to these shifts. Could a platform reimagine both music and social connection from first principles? What would it mean to build a music platform that felt like hanging out with friends—one that supported artists, gave space to great writing, and avoided the engagement dark patterns that have defined the last 15 years?
In the years since streaming became the dominant mode of music consumption, I’ve been increasingly concerned with how the social and emotional core of music has been lost. I experienced this firsthand while helping concept early versions of Apple Music back in 2014—where social discovery features I had designed were ultimately deprioritized in favor of editorial and algorithmic curation. That decision stuck with me.
At the same time, the past decade has also exposed the cracks in traditional social media. Feeds optimized for engagement, not meaning. Spaces where political discourse, disaster coverage, and memes all collide in a single undifferentiated stream. It’s exhausting—and worse, it’s unsustainable.
Wave started as a personal response to these shifts. Could a platform reimagine both music and social connection from first principles? What would it mean to build a music platform that felt like hanging out with friends—one that supported artists, gave space to great writing, and avoided the engagement dark patterns that have defined the last 15 years?
In the years since streaming became the dominant mode of music consumption, I’ve been increasingly concerned with how the social and emotional core of music has been lost. I experienced this firsthand while helping concept early versions of Apple Music back in 2014—where social discovery features I had designed were ultimately deprioritized in favor of editorial and algorithmic curation. That decision stuck with me.
At the same time, the past decade has also exposed the cracks in traditional social media. Feeds optimized for engagement, not meaning. Spaces where political discourse, disaster coverage, and memes all collide in a single undifferentiated stream. It’s exhausting—and worse, it’s unsustainable.
Wave started as a personal response to these shifts. Could a platform reimagine both music and social connection from first principles? What would it mean to build a music platform that felt like hanging out with friends—one that supported artists, gave space to great writing, and avoided the engagement dark patterns that have defined the last 15 years?
The State
of Play
The State
of Play
The State
of Play
1) Music platforms are isolating
Despite the rise of streaming, music has become an increasingly solitary experience. Discovery is algorithmic, not social. Sharing is transactional, not communal.
2) Social media is exhausting
Generalist feeds on social media mix unrelated topics and emotional tones, require constant context switching, cognitive dissonance and fatigue. We've lost the ability to have focused, meaningful interaction around shared interests amongst the noise of "everything."
3) Music discourse is fundamentally broken
With the abandonment of the spaces and forums that once facilitated healthy conversation and discourse around music all but a thing of the past, and the demise of blog culture and stalwart music journalism, nothing has provided the same safety, trust and sense of community to have constructive dialogue about music online in the social media era.
1) Music platforms are isolating
Despite the rise of streaming, music has become an increasingly solitary experience. Discovery is algorithmic, not social. Sharing is transactional, not communal.
2) Social media is exhausting
Generalist feeds mix unrelated content types and emotional tones, creating dissonance and fatigue. We’ve lost the ability to have focused, meaningful interaction around shared interests.
3) Music discourse is fundamentally broken
With the abandonment of the spaces and forums that once facilitated healthy conversation and discourse around music all but a thing of the past, and the demise of blog culture and stalwart music journalism, nothing has provided the same safety, trust and sense of community to have constructive dialogue about music online in the social media era.
1) Music platforms are isolating
Despite the rise of streaming, music has become an increasingly solitary experience. Discovery is algorithmic, not social. Sharing is transactional, not communal.
2) Social media is exhausting
Generalist feeds mix unrelated content types and emotional tones, creating dissonance and fatigue. We’ve lost the ability to have focused, meaningful interaction around shared interests.
3) Music discourse is fundamentally broken
With the abandonment of the spaces and forums that once facilitated healthy conversation and discourse around music all but a thing of the past, and the demise of blog culture and stalwart music journalism, nothing has provided the same safety, trust and sense of community to have constructive dialogue about music online in the social media era.
A FOUNDATIONAL, PRINCIPLED APPROACH
Building…better.
Building…better.
Wave started with a foundational belief: the best way to design a better platform is to bake ethics into the product from day one. Before pushing a single pixel, I mapped out a Code-of-Ethics that acts as a filter for every product, design, and business decision. A few key principles:
• Do No Harm: no addictive engagement loops, no algorithmic manipulation, no ads.
• Support Artists: percentage of revenue funds new music, with a community voting model.
• Community Driven: open feature suggestions, artist roundtables, and a product roadmap that listens.
• Intentional Social Design: symmetrical friending, no parasocial follows, and a social graph based on shared taste.
Wave started with a foundational belief: the best way to design a better platform is to bake ethics into the product from day one. Before pushing a single pixel, I mapped out a Code-of-Ethics that acts as a filter for every product, design, and business decision. A few key principles:
• Do No Harm: no addictive engagement loops, no algorithmic manipulation, no ads.
• Support Artists: percentage of revenue funds new music, with a community voting model.
• Community Driven: open feature suggestions, artist roundtables, and a product roadmap that listens.
• Intentional Social Design: symmetrical friending, no parasocial follows, and a social graph based on shared taste.
A new social layer
A new social layer
Wave isn't a new streaming service—but an entirely new, social experience that's built on top of your preexisting music library/service.
Wave isn't a new streaming service—but an entirely new, social experience that's built on top of your preexisting music library/service.
Saying goodbye to "social media"
Wave isn't social media. It's an intentional, music-first social space that's oriented around friends-and-artists. With a timeline built around music discourse—comprised only of the what and who you care about—your friends, mutuals and favorite bands and artists.
Saying goodbye to "social media"
Wave isn't social media. It's an intentional, music-first social space that's oriented around friends-and-artists.
Saying goodbye to "social media"
Wave isn't social media. It's an intentional, music-first social space that's oriented around friends-and-artists. With a timeline built around music discourse—comprised only of the what and who you care about—your friends, mutuals and favorite bands and artists.
No algorithms. Just people.
Whether it's connecting with new friends with mutual tastes in music, listening along in real time with a friend via "Together," or in discover mode, looking for new music—Wave ditches the algorithms—and puts your friends at the heart of the experience.
No algorithms. Just people.
Whether it's connecting with new friends with mutual tastes in music, listening along in real time with a friend via "Together," or in discover mode, looking for new music—Wave ditches the algorithms—and puts your friends at the heart of the experience.
No algorithms. Just people.
Whether it's connecting with new friends with mutual tastes in music, listening along in real time with a friend via "Together," or in discover mode, looking for new music—Wave ditches the algorithms—and puts your friends at the heart of the experience.
Built for music lovers.
With a focus on an active, lean-in listening experience—one that gives you access to conversation about the music you're listening to—Wave is built for music lovers who want more than to always put a song on and let it face into the background.
Built for music lovers.
With a focus on an active, lean-in listening experience—one that gives you access to conversation about the music you're listening to—Wave is built for music lovers who want more than to always put a song on and let it face into the background.
Reconnect with the songs & artists that move you.
Wave wraps your Apple Music, Spotify, or cloud music library in a stunningly designed interface—where your music and favorite artists are presented in a beautiful new light.
Reconnect with the songs & artists that move you.
Wave wraps your Apple Music, Spotify, or cloud music library in a stunningly designed interface—where your music and favorite artists are presented in a beautiful new light.
Music journalism matters.
Music journalism helps us understand the records we love, contextualize the moments we experience, and connect more deeply with the artists behind them. Wave was designed with that belief at its core—creating space within the platform for independent music journalism to thrive. From longform essays to quick-hit reviews, Wave gives great writers great tools to publish, grow their audience, and earn support directly from music lovers—and with the experience is seamlessly woven into the app—it lives harmoniously alongside your music library. Because great music deserves to be talked about.
Music journalism matters.
Music journalism helps us understand the records we love, contextualize the moments we experience, and connect more deeply with the artists behind them. Wave was designed with that belief at its core—creating space within the platform for independent music journalism to thrive. From longform essays to quick-hit reviews, Wave gives great writers great tools to publish, grow their audience, and earn support directly from music lovers—and with the experience is seamlessly woven into the app—it lives harmoniously alongside your music library. Because great music deserves to be talked about.
Music journalism matters.
Music journalism helps us understand the records we love, contextualize the moments we experience, and connect more deeply with the artists behind them. Wave was designed with that belief at its core—creating space within the platform for independent music journalism to thrive. From longform essays to quick-hit reviews, Wave gives great writers great tools to publish, grow their audience, and earn support directly from music lovers—and with the experience is seamlessly woven into the app—it lives harmoniously alongside your music library. Because great music deserves to be talked about.
Music journalism matters.
Music journalism helps us understand the records we love, contextualize the moments we experience, and connect more deeply with the artists behind them. Wave was designed with that belief at its core—creating space within the platform for independent music journalism to thrive. From longform essays to quick-hit reviews, Wave gives great writers great tools to publish, grow their audience, and earn support directly from music lovers—and with the experience is seamlessly woven into the app—it lives harmoniously alongside your music library. Because great music deserves to be talked about.
SO WHERE IS IT?
"Riding…the Wave"
Short answer? It's coming. Wave is a passion project—and as such, is still a work-in-progress. The early prototypes and design system support an eventual cross-platform rollout, and its core features & general UX are there, with the pitch deck garnering early interest from fellow founders, collaborators and potential partners.
My favorite part of Wave is that it's not just a product—it’s a provocation. A reminder that we can design social experiences that respect our time, center our passions and community, and support the people who make the things we love.
SO WHERE IS IT?
"Riding…the Wave"
Short answer? It's coming. Wave is a passion project—and as such, is still a work-in-progress. The early prototypes and design system support an eventual cross-platform rollout, and its core features & general UX are there, with the pitch deck garnering early interest from fellow founders, collaborators and potential partners.
My favorite past of Wave isn’t that it's just a product—it’s a provocation. A reminder that we can design social experiences that respect our time, center our passions and community, and support the people who make the things we love.
SO WHERE IS IT?
"Riding…the Wave"
Short answer? It's coming. Wave is a passion project—and as such, is still a work-in-progress. The early prototypes and design system support an eventual cross-platform rollout, and its core features & general UX are there, with the pitch deck garnering early interest from fellow founders, collaborators and potential partners.
My favorite part of Wave is that it's not just a product—it’s a provocation. A reminder that we can design social experiences that respect our time, center our passions and community, and support the people who make the things we love.
SO WHERE IS IT?
"Riding…the Wave"
Short answer? It's coming. Wave is a passion project—and as such, is still a work-in-progress. The early prototypes and design system support an eventual cross-platform rollout, and its core features & general UX are there, with the pitch deck garnering early interest from fellow founders, collaborators and potential partners.
My favorite past of Wave isn’t that it's just a product—it’s a provocation. A reminder that we can design social experiences that respect our time, center our passions and community, and support the people who make the things we love.
