Duolingo Partners with Sony Music, Bringing Popular Tracks to Music Courses

Duolingo debuted its Music course offering in October 2023 as part of its expanded platform, which allows users to study more objects within a single app. The course aims to teach musical concepts through interactive, game-like exercises. Just like the platform’s language lessons, the Music courses count towards users’ daily streaks, helping them complete their Daily Quests, unlock new achievements, and more.

Now, dozens of tracks from artists like Hozier, Meghan Trainor, Dove Cameron, and Whitney Houston, have been added to the app’s learning curriculum, deepening user engagement while helping learners improve their music theory skills.

Topics include learning rhythm, locating notes on the piano, and distinguishing between different notes. The course further helps users read music, get familiar with combining sounds, and train their ears to recognize different sounds and notes.

“At Duolingo, we’re constantly looking for ways to make learning more effective and entertaining. We’re partnering with Sony Music, a leader in the music industry, to bring our learners a library of chart-topping songs they can learn to read and play,” said George Audi, Head of Business Development at Duolingo.

The partnership with Sony Music comes as Duolingo surpassed 100 million monthly active users in Q2 2024, with 8 million paying subscribers.

Currently, the Music course, along with the newly enhanced offering, is available only on IOS devices. However, a Duolingo executive confirmed in early August 2024 that it will be rolled out to Android devices “in the next couple of months.”

From an independent artist’s perspective, the new collaboration with Sony Music might seem insignificant. However, it could be Duolingo’s first step toward integrating music content from a wider range of professional musicians. In an era where a song can become viral overnight, the possibility of getting your music featured on popular platforms like Duolingo (that can further boost your reach and engagement) feels more attainable for everyone.

Moreover, introducing songs by beloved artists, whether signed or independent, could inspire more people to invest time in learning music and improving their skills. Ultimately, this might lead to more talent emerging in the music industry, potentially creating the next generation of professional musicians (ideally).