Company
BeatConnect
BeatConnect, as described on the show by Alexandre Turbide and Nicholas Laroche.
Episodes (1)
Alexandre Turbide and Nicholas Laroche of BeatConnect explain why they built a collaborative DAW on Unity and switched from a paid model to freemium.
Questions these episodes answer
Why did BeatConnect build its own digital audio workstation instead of a plugin?
BeatConnect first launched as a plugin meant to work inside every existing DAW, but that meant a full round of quality testing every time any of a dozen host programs updated. That workload was unsustainable and left the company exposed if any single DAW maker decided to stop supporting them, so they built their own standalone product instead.
Why do BeatConnect's founders compare music production software unfavorably to gaming?
They argue gaming rewards cross-platform play, modding and experimentation, while music software keeps users locked into formats and ecosystems that punish switching tools. Some plugins still require a physical USB key to authorize, a friction point that barely exists anywhere else in modern software.
Why did BeatConnect switch from a paid subscription to a free model?
BeatConnect originally charged ten dollars a month, but users hated it because collaborating meant pressuring friends into paying too just to make music together, which caused a wave of backlash. The company switched to a fully free platform and now earns money through a cheaper marketplace of plugins and sounds instead.
What audience does BeatConnect say is most underserved by music technology?
The founders point to content creators making music live on platforms like Twitch, YouTube and TikTok, arguing this group has been left behind by recent music technology because their audience has no way to interact back with what is being created in real time.