Melody

Inspiration

I'm very passionate about both film and music. Knowing a friend who's a film major, I’ve seen how tedious and costly the soundtrack licensing process can be, especially when dealing with high-level artists. After developing the idea with other friends, I decided to tackle the cross-section of music and film, being a fan of both.

What it does

Melody is a peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace where filmmakers can buy licenses for songs and connect with indie music artists and composers. It simplifies the licensing process, making it easier for filmmakers to find music that fits their projects without high costs.

How we built it

We built Melody using a combination of powerful tools and technologies to create a seamless experience for filmmakers and musicians. For artist recommendations, we integrated the ChatGPT API, which helps generate a curated list of lesser-known artists that align with specific film projects. These suggestions are based on filmmakers' descriptions of the kind of music they are looking for, allowing for a personalized experience.

To display artist data and facilitate the music search process, we used the Spotify API. This enables us to retrieve detailed artist profiles, including music previews and links to their Spotify pages. The integration of Spotify allows filmmakers to explore different artists easily and select the right music for their projects.

On the web development side, we chose Next.js for its powerful server-side rendering capabilities, which enhances the performance and user experience of the platform. The app's interface is designed to be user-friendly, incorporating React components for smooth interactions and state management.

By combining these technologies, we were able to create an efficient, scalable, and intuitive platform that connects filmmakers with the right music and composers, solving the complex challenge of soundtrack licensing in the film industry.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was dealing with limitations in the Spotify API, particularly in retrieving detailed artist data and handling search queries efficiently.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're incredibly proud of several key milestones in building Melody. First and foremost, we successfully developed a fully functional P2P marketplace where filmmakers can easily connect with music artists and composers. This platform streamlines the often cumbersome process of finding and licensing music for films, making it accessible to indie filmmakers.

Our successful integration of the Spotify API and ChatGPT API is another highlight. These integrations allow filmmakers to receive personalized artist recommendations and easily preview songs, all within the same platform. Despite challenges like API limitations, we were able to overcome those hurdles and provide a seamless experience for users.

Additionally, receiving positive feedback from early testers—both filmmakers and musicians—validates the impact Melody can have on the creative community. It's gratifying to know that we've built something that can simplify a traditionally complex process, and we’re excited to keep pushing forward with further development and features.

What we learned

We learned a lot about integrating various APIs and solving real-world problems around music licensing, as well as improving the user experience for both filmmakers and artists.

What's next for Melody

We plan to continue expanding the platform with more advanced AI tools to match filmmakers with artists more precisely, adding more licensing options, and making the marketplace more scalable for a global user base.

Built With

• next
• openai
• spotifyapi