Daily Playlists

As a UX consultant, I was brought in to support Daily Playlists’ Q3 growth goals for 2023. My focus was on optimising monetisation, refining the value proposition of premium features, and improving overall user experience. This involved conducting in-depth user research, redesigning the premium submission process, enhancing the Artist Pro subscription, and restructuring platform messaging to create clearer differentiation between free and paid options.

Users were purchasing premium features, but the system lacked clear incentives and meaningful engagement. The platform was oversaturated with low-quality playlists, making it difficult for artists to connect with curators in a valuable way. Additionally, Pro subscribers weren’t seeing tangible benefits, leading to poor retention and limited long-term revenue growth.

I conducted extensive research, speaking with over 700 independent artists to uncover their frustrations. The insights showed that many users were spending money in the hope of getting results rather than feeling assured of value. There was a need for stronger curation, increased transparency, and more compelling premium benefits to build user trust and long-term engagement.

We redefined Daily Playlists’ monetisation by vetting premium curators, ensuring artists always received feedback or a refund. This created new, high-quality submission opportunities, validated through user research. The new Artist Pro Dashboard made savings and performance data transparent, reinforcing value. Clearer pricing and messaging differentiated free and premium options, making upgrades feel essential rather than optional.

These changes resulted in stronger user trust, improved retention, and a more sustainable monetisation model. Revenue and retention increased, and both have continued to grow since. Artists became more selective in their spending, premium curators were more engaged, and Pro users could clearly measure their return on investment.

Revenue doesn’t always reflect value - users were paying out of hope rather than satisfaction, leading to churn. By refining the platform to offer clear, structured value, we increased retention, improved user trust, and enhanced long-term monetisation.