Harman, the audio and automotive technology company owned by Samsung Electronics, has launched a music discovery app called Drops.
The app lets users listen to song clips lasting between 10 and 30 seconds, shared by friends and tastemakers on the platform.
Each clip – known as a “Drop” – is presented alongside lyrics, album artwork, licensed artist images, and a caption, according to Harman.
Harman announced the launch on Monday (November 9).
Drops is available on iOS and Android in the US, initially on an invite-only basis, with users able to join a waitlist.
Harman says the app is supported by labels and distributors including Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Symphonic Distribution, EMPIRE, and UnitedMasters.
Data providers LyricFind, Xperi, and MusicBrainz are also involved, as are music publishers and PROs that the company did not name.
Universal Music Group is the only major music company named in the announcement.
Neither Sony Music nor Warner Music Group was listed, although Harman says Drops features “a growing catalog of music from major and independent labels.”
TechCrunch reported that Drops pays rightsholders, and that its label and distribution partners receive reporting on plays.
Harman says Drops is designed to “complement the streaming services people already use.”
The app will connect with platforms including Apple Music, Qobuz, and TIDAL, so that users can move from a clip to the full-length track.
Spotify was not among the streaming services named by Harman.
“The way we discover music is evolving, but the most meaningful recommendations have always come from people we trust,” said Clare Hunter, General Manager of Drops at Harman. “Drops brings that human element to the forefront, giving people a new way to find music through the moments that make a song special and the perspectives of those who share their taste.
“We see an opportunity to make music discovery more personal, more social and more connected to the way people listen today, and we’re excited to introduce Drops to music fans across the U.S.”
Users can store Drops they want to return to in personal “collections,” follow other users, and send Drops to friends inside the app, according to Harman.
The company says Drops is “focused on elevating human-created music,” while its recommendations are personalized according to each listener’s tastes and activity on the app.
According to TechCrunch, Drops says it does not use generative AI for audio or visuals, and songs appear on the app as they were originally released.
Drops is free to use.
“So much of music discovery is built to recommend what’s already popular,” said Andrew Migdail, VP, Distribution & Sync Operations at UnitedMasters. “Drops is built to surface what’s next, and UnitedMasters is built to help artists get there.
“We’re proud to partner with HARMAN to bring this opportunity to our community of independent artists driving culture forward.”
“Independent artists need more ways to be discovered through the music itself and the people who believe in it,” said Jorge Brea, Founder and CEO of Symphonic Distribution. “Drops puts those personal recommendations at the center, giving listeners a fresh way to connect with emerging artists and giving great music a chance to find its audience.”
Hunter told TechCrunch that the idea for Drops began to take shape after Harman bought Roon.
Harman acquired Roon, the music management, discovery, and streaming platform, in November 2023.
In an email inviting some of its users to preview Drops earlier this year, which one recipient later posted on Roon’s community forum, Roon said it had first started writing down the idea four years earlier, but that it was not something it could take on at the time.
According to the email, the Harman acquisition gave Roon the opportunity to assemble a new team to build Drops.
The same email said that, at that preview stage, Drops was licensed for about 30% of the major label catalog.
Samsung Electronics acquired Harman for USD $8 billion in March 2017.
In May 2025, Harman agreed to acquire the Sound United consumer audio business, including Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, and Marantz, from Masimo for USD $350 million. The deal closed in September 2025.
Drops arrives almost two years after TikTok closed TikTok Music, its subscription streaming service, on November 28, 2024.
At the time, TikTok said it would focus instead on its “Add to Music App” feature, which lets users save tracks they find on TikTok to playlists on services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
Spotify unveiled a redesigned home feed at its Stream On event in March 2023, built around swipeable, auto-playing previews of songs, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks.
MBW examined that redesign at the time alongside data from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA’s figures showed that just 10–20% of plays on Spotify in the UK in 2021 came from tracks on what the regulator called “algotorial” playlists.
Between 50% and 60% of plays on Spotify in the UK that year came from playlists created by users, according to the same data.Music Business Worldwide
