Own Something and Be Happy - A blog post about using PWAs to create sharable, offline "mixapps"
Lately I've been thinking about how music consumption and sharing has changed in the streaming era. We got convenience, but we lost the ability to share persistent digital artifacts (like mix CDs) with one another. Modern playlists are platform-locked, often require a paid subscription, and decay as licenses expire.
Mixapps are like mixtapes or mix CDs, but packaged as Progressive Web Apps that you can share with friends and install for offline use. They use the browser's cache API to store app data and songs, so after the initial download, they work completely offline on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
My thesis is that our lost custom of digital gift-giving can be restored, if we restore the structures that enabled it. Mixapps feel like a solid first step in that direction.
GitHub repo: https://github.com/hunterirving/mixapps
Live demo: https://hunterirving.com/worn_grooves/
Installation instructions: https://hunterirving.github.io/web_workshop/pages/pwa/
PS: If you end up making a Mixapp, ensure you have the right to distribute any media files you include. Personal archival backups are for your own use, and sharing them with others, even as a gift, is not covered by fair use or backup exceptions.
I know it looks like I'm winking but that's just my allergies.