TechCrunch has learned that Duolingo, the language learning app with over 500 million users, is working on a music app.
The Pittsburgh-based technology company currently has a small team working on music products and “music education professionals who have both theoretical knowledge of relevant learning science research and practical teaching experience.” We are hiring a learning scientist who is Job postings on Duolingo career pages. The company also posted a job posting for a freelance composer and curriculum his consultant, but the company is not currently accepting applications for that job.
Job postings suggest that the app uses popular songs and teachers to teach basic concepts in music theory.
Duolingo has slowly grown beyond language learning into a number of ancillary new projects that have the potential to generate significant revenue over the next few years. For example, The Duolingo English Test, derived from a 2014 hackathon project, is an online certification exam that tests language proficiency. The company also launched Duolingo ABC during the pandemic. This is a free app focused on English literacy for children ages 3 to her 6.
In October 2022, the company announced Duolingo Math as its first subject expansion beyond its original roots in language learning and literacy. Math app is free and similar to language learning. Both require methodical thinking and the ability to apply functions to get answers.
Music is a pedagogical middle ground between language, which requires nuance and context, and mathematics, which requires a focus on formulas, in this case sounds, to get the right answers.
Duolingo’s language, math, and music all require a basic knowledge of the user. That’s what makes Duolingo different. It focuses on building blocks rather than specific proficiency levels as a way to acquire skills.
Moreover, it doesn’t matter that there seems to be management buy-in for this whole concept. Bob Meese, Duolingo’s chief business officer, is an investor in Trala, a technology company that offers virtual his violin his lessons. Recently, he raised an $8 million Series A.
So far, the broader range seems to resonate. Duolingo more than doubled its paying subscriber base last year, according to its last quarterly update. Total revenue in 2022 also nearly doubled to $369.5 million.
It’s unclear how Duolingo’s music app will materialize in the coming months. For example, I don’t know if this app will help people read music, write music, learn musical instruments, or all of the above, or if it’s just a small experiment. Within an organization known to prefer a test or 10. TechCrunch reached out to the company for further comment.
