Drops Music App Pays 5 Rights Holders for Song Clips

Drops is a new music-discovery app from Harman, a Samsung subsidiary, that lets users scroll through 10- to 30-second clips of songs instead of full tracks, according to TechCrunch. The app launched Monday on iOS and Android in the United States and is currently invite-only, with U.S. users able to join a waitlist.

What is Drops and who built it?

Drops comes from Harman, the Samsung-owned audio and electronics company. General manager Clare Hunter told TechCrunch the idea took shape 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," Hunter said, per the outlet.

How does the scrolling format work?

The app borrows the vertical-scroll format popularized by TikTok, but instead of video, users swipe through 10- to 30-second snippets of songs paired with lyrics, album artwork, artist photos, and captions, TechCrunch reported. The goal, according to the company, is to surface the single moment in a song most likely to hook a listener — a lyric, a hook, or a beat — rather than the opening seconds. Hunter described the pain point the app is meant to solve: "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.'"

Navigation runs through four tabs — For You, New, Showcase, and Following — plus trending hashtags. Users can like, comment, repost, save tracks to collections called Droplists, send songs directly to other users, follow profiles, and message each other.

Does Drops use AI-generated music or images?

No. Harman says Drops does not use generative AI for either audio or visuals, per TechCrunch. Songs appear as originally released, with official album artwork and licensed artist photography — a distinction the company is drawing at a moment when AI-generated tracks and synthetic imagery have become more common on other platforms.

How do rights holders get paid?

Drops pays rights holders and reports plays back to its partners, according to TechCrunch. Those five partners are Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Empire, Symphonic Distribution, and UnitedMasters. Plays inside Drops also count toward streams on those partners' own services, meaning the app is not positioned to replace existing subscriptions — it feeds data back into them instead.

How does someone hear the full song?

To move from a clip to the complete track, Drops integrates with major streaming services including Apple Music, Qobuz, and TIDAL, letting users jump directly into the full version through whichever platform they already use. The company frames this as the core function of the app: a discovery layer that sits on top of existing subscriptions rather than a standalone catalog.

When can more users get in?

Drops remains invite-only in the U.S. as of launch, with new users joining a waitlist, TechCrunch reported Monday. The company has not published a timeline for opening access beyond the current rollout.