A new social music streaming platform is coming soon to college students exclusively, and University of Rhode Island students now have access to a beta version.
Quadio is set to be released as an app at the end of the month, but for now URI students can get access to a beta version online through the access codes of campus representatives, junior Christi Brennan and freshman Logan MacDonald. Both MacDonald and Brennan are musicians and music consumers, which is exactly why they’re excited to bring Quadio to students at colleges across New England.
The streaming platform is made specifically for college students, but it is for more than solely sharing music. Quadio can be used to make music with other people.
“It’s not a streaming service that’s meant to compete with Spotify and Apple Music,” Brennan said. “It’s meant for students to collaborate with others.”
All one needs to create an account is a school email address ending in .edu, and currently, an access code from a Quadio rep like Brennan or MacDonald. MacDonald’s access code is “lzgv3j” which will give students access to the full beta version at Quadio.com.
Besides being exclusively for college students, what sets Quadio apart is the ability to find local artists by being able to look at work through the filters of university, region, state and nation, meaning URI students can easily find the work of other URI students who have shared their music on Quadio.
However, this work doesn’t have to be complete. There are two different types of songs on the app; “Complete” and “Work in Progress.” Artists can upload either completed tracks for people to listen to or works in progress as either a starting point or a way to find collaborators.
“The person sitting next to you in your math class could have the same creative vision as you, could be somebody that works really well with you and you don’t even know it,” Brennan said. “This platform is going to streamline that connection process.”
Brennan, like Quadio’s founders, has always dreamed of being in a band and while she makes her own music, she has never been able to find bandmates. With Quadio, she can post her works in progress and let users know what she needs to complete the track, whether it’s vocals or a producer or percussion. Other users can then respond and the artists can collaborate to make a completed track, and maybe even form a band.
While MacDonald is already in a band with other URI students called Calypso, Quadio had a similar appeal to her. As a musician, she wanted the ability to connect with other musicians.
“Usually on different websites that are for music or finding other musicians, you can’t really find other musicians who are your age,” MacDonald said. “For years I’ve been trying to find social media platforms that do that and then [Quadio] came out.”
While Quadio is a great asset musicians and those looking to collaborate, it’s also a great way for students to support local and independent artists and be able to listen to the music of their peers who they may not have even known were musicians.
Currently, the platform is still growing in users and will only grow more once the full version is released towards the end of the month, but for now, the beta version is up and ready and waiting for students to join.