Drops app launched by Harman brings song sharing to iOS and Android
Harman has launched Drops, a new music discovery app for iOS and Android in the U.S. that lets users swipe through short song snippets.
A new application called Drops has officially arrived, designed to replicate the social experience of sharing songs with friends. Launched on Monday by Harman, a Samsung subsidiary, the platform borrows the vertical-scrolling format common in short-form video apps to help listeners find fresh music.
Available now on iOS and Android within the United States, the software presents 10- to 30-second audio snippets paired with lyrics, artist photos, captions, and album artwork. The goal is to highlight specific hooks, beats, or lyrics that grab a listener's attention immediately.
“You send a friend a song and say, ‘You have to hear this.’ Then you end up texting, ‘Skip to 1:47, that’s the best part.’ The part that hits usually isn’t the first few seconds, and there wasn’t a good way to share just that moment,” said Clare Hunter, general manager of Drops, regarding the motivation behind the project.
Features, Integrations, and Copyright Approach
Hunter noted that the concept began to develop after Harman acquired music management software company Roon in 2023. “I used to spend hours making mixtapes for my friends, picking the songs, the order, and decorating the cover. Drops is the version of that I always wanted,” she added.
The interface includes tabs like “For You,” “New,” “Showcase,” and “Following,” along with trending hashtags. Users can like, comment, repost, save tracks into collections called Droplists, send tracks directly to others, and exchange direct messages. To hear complete songs, the platform integrates with major streaming services such as Apple Music, Qobuz, and TIDAL.
Crucially, the application avoids generative artificial intelligence for both visuals and audio, relying instead on official artwork and licensed photography. Furthermore, the company compensates rights holders and reports plays back to industry partners. These partners include Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Empire, Symphonic Distribution, and UnitedMasters, ensuring that user activity counts toward streaming totals.