Verzuz is a battle series created by music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland in March 2020. Two producers, songwriters, or artists are matched up to go head to head playing songs from their catalogs in a livestream on IG Live watched by millions around the world.

 
I got to say Verzuz is one of the best offerings the music industry has given us during the quarantine. This cultural phenomenon has got people talking on social media, sharing funny moments of the livestream, and all together keeping people’s minds off the pandemic by offering a place to come together and celebrate music right in their living rooms. It’s not only provided entertainment for viewers, but it has also benefited those in the music industry with what has been termed “The Verzuz Effect.” Artists have seen streaming figures group up to 300%. Check out the article “The VERZUZ Effect | Why Iconic Artists – and Apple – Are Betting Big on Battles” by Naima Cochrane.  

Verzuz teamed up with Apple and Twitter to provide high production value, on-demand viewing, and advanced social integration. I believe Verzuz should continue to build its offering by providing a native mobile app. Not only will this app address Verzuz’s current issues, but it will also provide an opportunity to expand the platform to allow viewers to create their own battles and compete with their friends for the best playlist.

Let’s first address the current issues Verzuz is currently faced with. The following list was populated after conducting user interviews with individuals who have watched VERZUZ battles.

IG Live sessions are limited to 1-hour. After that mark is hit, the livestream is automatically ended. Viewers then have to scramble to close the current session, go back to the Verzuz IG profile, wait for the new livestream to start and then enter that one. Battlers usually like to wait for the viewer count to go back up so there is a little wait time before they continue the battle.

Verzuz should create its own livestream platform where it has complete control over the interface as well as its own guidelines including time limits. Coupled with a partnership with Twitter, Verzuz could be home to fresh, innovative social media integration features.

There is no way to set a notification for battles (update: on Facebook you can join an event). Battles are mentioned on different social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, but viewers have to remember to manually enter the date and time details in their calendar and set a reminder.

With a native app, Verzuz can offer viewers an automatic way to add battle details to their calendar as well as opt-in for notifications to remind them when a battle is about to start. I also added the option of sharing the battle with friends so they can add the event to their calendars.

Viewers cannot see the details of the song (song title, artist & features) unless they look in the comments to see it mentioned there. Granted Apple Music provides a playlist of all the songs that were played after the livestream session, it is a different dynamic talking about the songs real-time in the comments.

Provide an interface that lists out all the song details as they are played. Not only will this allow viewers to identify the song, but it will also liven up the debate in comments section by reminding viewers what song Artist B’ song used as a rebuttal to Artist A’s song during a round.

Verzuz shares content on different socials such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Although this is a great marketing strategy to reach a wider audience, it’s hard to see all social activity. These assets include written posts, official battle announcement, promotional images, cheat sheets from Apple Music, battle reminders, recaps, and the Verzuz Effect Summary Card.

No doubt all viewers enjoy and appreciate all this content, but wouldn’t it be so much easier if it was all in one place? That way viewers who are only on one platform and not the other won’t miss out on any content. Also, it would just make it easier to access all Verzuz content in one place.

I’m scrollable!

VIEW BATTLE DETAILS &
WATCH IN APP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BATTLE YOUR
FRIENDS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECEIVE INVITES TO
PRIVATE BATTLES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WATCH, CHAT & VOTE
FOR A WINNER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the post on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIqoERCp0uA/

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