Samsung's Harman Launches Drops, a TikTok-Style App for Music Discovery

Harman, a Samsung subsidiary, launched Drops on Monday — a music discovery app that borrows TikTok's vertical-scrolling format but swaps videos for 10-to-30-second song snippets. The app is available on iOS and Android in the U.S. and is currently invite-only, with American users able to join a waitlist.

Drops shows users short clips of songs accompanied by lyrics, album artwork, artist photos, and captions. The idea is to give listeners just enough of a track to grab their attention — a strong lyric, a catchy hook, or a beat that makes them want to hear more.

What problem does Drops solve?

Harman says the app is meant to feel like a return to how people discovered music before algorithm recommendations took over — through friends, music blogs, and online communities.

"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.' The part that hits usually isn't the first few seconds, and there wasn't a good way to share just that moment," Clare Hunter, general manager of Drops, told the outlet.

Hunter explained that the idea for Drops began taking 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 added.

How does the app work?

The interface is simple to navigate. Tabs include "For You," "New," "Showcase," and "Following," along with relevant and trending hashtags.

Users can:

• Like, comment, repost, share, and save tracks to collections called Droplists
• Send songs directly to other users
• Follow other profiles and exchange direct messages

To hear a full track, Drops integrates with major streaming services including Apple Music, Qobuz, and TIDAL. Users jump directly into the complete version of a song through their connected streaming platform.

Why no generative AI?

The company says it does not use generative AI for audio or visuals. Songs appear as they were originally released, using official album artwork and licensed artist photography. At a time when AI-generated music and slop are becoming harder to avoid, that stance will likely appeal to many users.

How does the money flow?

Drops pays rights holders and reports plays back to its partners. Those partners include Universal Music Group, Beggars Group, Empire, Symphonic Distribution, and UnitedMasters.

Plays also count toward streams on those services, meaning Drops is not trying to replace existing music subscriptions. Instead, it sits upstream — discovery happens on Drops, listening and revenue happen on the platforms users already pay for.

For Harman, the app extends a music strategy that started with the Roon acquisition in 2023. Whether short-form song clips can rebuild the social ritual of sharing music with friends will depend on how quickly Drops moves beyond its invite-only waitlist.