Smule (app)

Last updated
Smule
Developer(s) Smule Inc.
Initial release2012 (iOS)
2013 (Android)
2015 (Apple TV)
Operating system iOS, Android, Apple TV

Smule is an American music app initially released under the name Sing!, Karaoke in iOS platforms on 2012 [1] and subsequently on Android in 2013. [2] Smule expanded its music experience to include the web in 2016, albeit in a consultative format for now.

Contents

In October 2017, Smule started offering official Disney duets starting with the song 'You're Welcome' with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Moana character, Maui. [3] It was the first of several animated duets that are available on the app. The Smule app also allows users to perform duets alongside many international artists such as Jason Derulo, Luis Fonsi, J Balvin, Charlie Puth, Polina Gagarina, and Siti Badriah.

Smule was described as "the biggest music app you haven't heard of" adding that "fifty million people use it at least once a month" according to a CNET article from 2018. [4]

In 2018, Smule launched LiveJam, "a feature that it billed as the first time anyone can sing live with another user anywhere in the world, in real time." [5] In 2020, Smule updated their popular LiveJam feature to be audio-only for users who don't subscribe in order to make it a safer and more secure experience for the community. [6]

In October 2020, they released Styles, a creative tool for performances that combines audio and video filters to give singers new ways to creatively express themselves. After hearing that the community wanted more control over the feature, it was updated a few weeks later to allow users to edit the individual audio and video components of a Style. [7]

Development

TechCrunch explained: [8]

Smule co-founder and CTO Ge Wang says the collaborative features should help with Smule’s broader goal of making music performance more fun and accessible. When someone opens a Smule app, he says they shouldn’t ask themselves, “Am I a musician?” because the answer is usually no. Instead, the goal is to draw people in, then by the time they realize they’re making music, “it’s too late — they’re already having fun.” With Sing, it’s it should be less intimidating to join in an already-created song than it would be to start singing on your own.

An update of the app added new filters such as one that makes the user sound like they are singing in the shower. [9] Smule continued to invest resources in developing audio and video filters. In October 2020, they announced Styles -  pre-made templates with video and/or audio effects that enhance the performance and allow for more self-expression. [7] The following year, they integrated with Snap to offer users more effects, like beautifying filters, props and backgrounds. [10]

Users can sing duets with other Smule users anywhere in the world in real-time. [11] Smule has been granted a patent for how it handles latency in this scenario. [11] [12]

To make it easier for casual singers to explore singing, in 2021 Smule introduced a feature called Moments which gives users the ability to also select and sing just a small section of a song. [13]

Music collaboration

Users choose a song and either sing along to it as a solo, duet, or group performance. Performances are uploaded to Smule's database and the user decides if they would like to keep the performance private or share it with the community and invite others to join their performance. Users can enable video recording mode if they want to record both video and audio. A private flag may also be enabled, if users don't want to allow others to listen to their recording.

Critical reception

Smule has been received positively by their growing user base over the last decade for their innovative collaborative capabilities, video features and variety of FX at user disposal. As of May 2021, the Smule app had a 4.5 rating out of 5 in the App Store with over 136k ratings given by users. [14] In a surge of popularity in May 2021, the app briefly rose to the #2 Free App in the App Store and the #1 Music App in the App Store for over a week.

148Apps said "Sing! Join the global karaoke party! is either going to horrify or delight people, depending on their point of view on karaoke, in general. Yes, there are a lot of bad singers out there, but the name of the game is to have fun, and with the whole world as a stage, Sing! can be an awful lot of fun." [15]

AppAdvice said "As far as music selection, the free app is a mixed bag." [16]

Appolicious concluded "That’s the beauty of Sing! It may or may not yield a Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, Idina Menzel, John Mayer or even a Rebecca Black, but it is a wonderful way for singers the world over to unite and make a joyful communal sound." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karaoke</span> Form of entertainment involving singing to recorded music

Karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone.

iTunes Apples media library and media player software

iTunes is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital multimedia, on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating systems, and can be used to rip songs from CDs, as well as play content with the use of dynamic, smart playlists. Options for sound optimizations exist, as well as ways to wirelessly share the iTunes library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GarageBand</span> Digital audio workstations for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS

GarageBand is a software application by Apple for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or podcasts. GarageBand was originally released for macOS in 2004 and brought to iOS in 2011. The app's music and podcast creation system enables users to create multiple tracks with pre-made MIDI keyboards, pre-made loops, an array of various instrumental effects, and voice recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ChucK</span> Audio programming language

ChucK is a concurrent, strongly timed audio programming language for real-time synthesis, composition, and performance, which runs on Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and iOS. It is designed to favor readability and flexibility for the programmer over other considerations such as raw performance. It natively supports deterministic concurrency and multiple, simultaneous, dynamic control rates. Another key feature is the ability to live code; adding, removing, and modifying code on the fly, while the program is running, without stopping or restarting. It has a highly precise timing/concurrency model, allowing for arbitrarily fine granularity. It offers composers and researchers a powerful and flexible programming tool for building and experimenting with complex audio synthesis programs, and real-time interactive control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auto-Tune</span> Audio processor that alters pitch

Auto-Tune, or autotune, is an audio processor introduced in 1997 by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.

SingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Dozens of installments were released for the PlayStation 2, and several more for the PlayStation 3. It is also available on the PlayStation 4 as a free app download, with users paying for the songs as individual or bundle downloads. The games have also undergone a number of non-English releases in various European countries.

iTunes Remote iOS app to control iTunes/Apple TV media over WiFi

iTunes Remote is a software application developed by Apple Inc. for iOS devices that allows for remote control of Apple TV or iTunes library in an area with Wi-Fi connectivity using the proprietary Digital Audio Control Protocol (DACP). It is currently available as a free download from the App Store for iOS devices such as iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Stingray Group Inc. is a Canadian music, media and technology company based in Montreal, Quebec, with offices in Toronto, Ontario, as well as in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia.

<i>Leaf Trombone: World Stage</i> 2009 video game

Leaf Trombone: World Stage was a massively multiplayer online music game for the Apple iOS, developed by Smule and released on April 15, 2009 through the App Store. The game simulates a trombone based on a traditional Chinese leaf instrument, similar to a slide whistle. In the game, players can play the Leaf trombone along to a variety of tunes, as well as compose and publish songs of their own for anyone to play. Along with a "Free Play" mode, the "World Stage" feature provides a venue where players can perform their songs live for a global audience and receive ratings on a 1 to 10 scale from three separate judges. Following each performance, a player's rating is added to their previous ratings creating a comprehensive score reflecting the player's skill within the online community. The creators at Smule claim that Leaf Trombone: World Stage is "an instrument, a game, and a huge global social experience."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smule</span> Mobile App Developer

Smule is an American mobile app developer with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company specializes in developing social music-making and collaboration applications for iOS, Android, and Web.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moodagent</span>

Moodagent is a white label music streaming service that specializes in interactive playlists and personalized music recommendations. The Moodagent brand is developed and owned by the Danish company Moodagent A/S, which has proprietary methods for recognizing emotional and musical characteristics of individual tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prerna Gupta</span> American businesswoman

Prerna Gupta is an American businesswoman. She currently is the CEO of Telepathic Inc., which developed the smartphone app Hooked. She cofounded several startups focusing on music, dating, and short-stories. In 2011, she was named one of the most influential women in technology by the Fast Company magazine.

Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to presently featuring users' "Stories" of 24 hours of chronological content, along with "Discover", letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to store photos in a password-protected area called "my eyes only". It has also reportedly incorporated limited use of end-to-end encryption, with plans to broaden its use in the future.

<i>Geometry Dash</i> 2013 video game

Geometry Dash is a side-scrolling music platforming game series developed by Robert Topala. The game was released on 13 August 2013 on iOS and Android, and the Windows and macOS versions on 22 December 2014. In Geometry Dash, players control the movement of an icon and navigate music-based levels while avoiding obstacles such as spikes.

Ocarina (2008) is an app by Smule. It was followed by Ocarina 2 (2012). Both apps were designed by Ge Wang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NetEase Cloud Music</span>

NetEase Cloud Music is a Chinese freemium music streaming service developed and owned by NetEase, Inc. The streaming service was launched to the public on 23 April 2013. In April 2017 it received its series A financing of 750 million CNY, and was valued at 8 billion CNY. The main features of NetEase Cloud Music include playlists, live streaming, online karaoke, and social networking. As of May 2022, more than 450,000 independent musicians have registered with NetEase Cloud Music, rising to over 611,000 registered artists by December 2022 with a music database consisting of over 60 million songs. It is one of the biggest competitors in the Chinese music streaming business, primarily competing with Tencent's QQ Music.

<i>Twitch Sings</i> 2019 video game

Twitch Sings was a free-to-play karaoke video game developed by Harmonix and published by live streaming service Twitch. It was released on April 13, 2019 for Microsoft Windows and macOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wombo</span> Canadian lip-syncing deepfake creation app for mobile devices

Wombo is a Canadian image manipulation mobile app released in 2021 that uses a provided selfie to create a deepfake of a person lip-synced to a variety of songs.

References

  1. ↑ Dredge, Stuart (August 8, 2015). "Smule's new iPhone app would like to teach the world to Sing". The Guardian. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ Maxham, Alexander (July 1, 2013). "App of the Day: Sing! Karaoke". AndroidHeadlines. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Disney's Moana fans can duet with The Rock on Smule's Sing! app". USA TODAY. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Smule may be the biggest music app you haven't heard of". CNET. 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  5. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2018-09-14). "Smule App's New LiveJam Feature Lets You Sing Live Duets With Anyone in the World". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  6. ↑ "Sing Live Audio: Available Now". Smule. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  7. 1 2 "Exciting Changes to the Way You Sing and Create in Smule". Smule. 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  8. ↑ Ha, Anthony (August 8, 2012). "Music Startup Smule Promises To Get More Social, Starting With its New Karaoke App Sing". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (September 20, 2013). "With Smule's Sing! Karaoke app for the iPhone 5S, you can record songs in a shower". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Supercharge Your Performance With New Smule Styles". Smule. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  11. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (2018-09-14). "Smule App's New LiveJam Feature Lets You Sing Live Duets With Anyone in the World". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  12. ↑ "Patents Assigned to Smule, Inc. - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  13. ↑ "Smule Moments Out Now! - Try Them In The Smule App". Smule. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  14. ↑ "Smule: Social Karaoke Singing". App Store. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  15. ↑ Culp, Dale (August 24, 2012). "Sing! Join the global karaoke party! Review". 148Apps.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Dirks, Brent (August 8, 2012). "Sing! Is A Fun Way To Do Karaoke, If You're Willing To Pay For It". AppAdvice. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ Caplan, Lisa (January 12, 2013). "Smule turns the world into an iPhone karaoke party with Sing!". appolicious.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.