Duolingo is working on a music app

Duolingo, a language-learning app with more than 500 million users, is working on a music app, TechCrunch has learned.

According to a job posting listed on Duolingo’s careers page. The company also posted a position seeking an independent music composition and curriculum consultant, but the company is no longer accepting applications for this position.

The job listing suggests that the app will teach basic music theory concepts using popular songs and teachers.

Duolingo has slowly expanded beyond language learning into several new ancillary projects that could be significant revenue streams in years to come. For example, the Duolingo English Test, which grew out of a hackathon project in 2014, is an online certification exam that tests language skills. The company also launched Duolingo ABC during the pandemic, a free app focused on English literacy for kids ages 3 to 6.

In October 2022, the company announced Duolingo Math in its first subject expansion beyond its original language learning and literacy roots. The math app is free and similar to language learning; both require methodical thinking and the ability to apply functions to get answers.

Music is a subject that sits in the pedagogical middle of language, which requires nuance and context, and math, which requires focusing on formulas to provide correct answers, or in this case, sounds.

Language, math, and music in Duolingo all require users to know the basics. And that’s how Duolingo differentiates itself: it focuses on building blocks, instead of specific mastery, as a way to learn a skill.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that there seems to be some management buy-in to the overall concept: Duolingo chief commercial officer Bob Meese is an investor in Trala, a tech company that offers virtual violin lessons. . He recently raised $8 million in his Series A.

So far, the wider scope seems to resonate. Duolingo more than doubled its paid subscriber base last year, according to its latest quarterly update. Total revenue also nearly doubled to $369.5 million for 2022.

It’s unclear how Duolingo’s music app will materialize over the next few months – for example, we don’t know if the app will help people read music, write music, learn instruments, or all of the above – or if it’s just a small experiment within an organization known to like a test or 10. TechCrunch has contacted the company for further comment and will update if we receive a response.