Turning "Everyone Plays the Same Song" into a Business – Need Your Monetization/Growth Advice
Subject: Turning "Everyone Plays the Same Song" into a Business – Need Your Monetization/Growth Advice
Hey Indie Hackers,
I built Everyone Plays the Same Song (https://everyoneplaysthesamesong.com): a project where musicians propose cover songs, vote on one, and then everyone covers that same song by a deadline. It started as a personal accountability tool for practicing music, and it works well for the current small group of users.
The Core Idea & Vision:
The process (Propose -> Vote -> Create -> Share) is the key. I want to build this out into a platform where anyone can run similar deadline-driven, collaborative creative projects – songwriting prompts, art challenges, coding sprints, etc.
Current Status:
- Functional cover song project validating the concept.
- Small, engaged user base (friends/friends-of-friends). Crucially, I have a core group of power users who dedicate hours each quarter creating their art for this project, so I know there's real value here.
- Built and run by me (software engineer/musician). Need automation.
The Big Question: How do I make this a sustainable business?
I'm a builder, not a marketer/sales guy. Seeing this user dedication motivates me to figure out the business side. I need your advice on the transition from hobby project to revenue. Specifically wrestling with:
- Monetization:
- Platform subscription (monthly/annual)?
- Pay-per-project access?
- Empower users to run projects & share revenue (Organizer Model)?
- Something else? Hybrid?
- Initial Growth: How to move beyond my immediate network? Paid ads? Content? Focus on the organizer model to leverage their networks?
My gut feeling is that network effects are key – more creators/projects attract more users. Supporting power users/organizers seems vital.
I'm ready to put in the work but need guidance on the business side. What models make sense? What are the unseen pitfalls? How would you approach finding the first real customers?
Appreciate your direct feedback. Thanks.
