The Yo App’s Hidden Feature: Are Music Sales Next?

Yo, the mobile app that used to just say Yo and still claims "It's that simple" as a tagline, has been adding features like hashtags and the ability to include links with content attachments. Beta List founder Marc Köhlbrugge has discovered that they also have a hidden file that "specifies the MP3 file they should play on your device" when a Yo is sent. This ability opens up possibilities such as music messaging which could lead to music selling as well. But if that doesn't pan out, you'll still be able to use any of the growing number of music-related notification integrations that are currently multiplying like digital rabbits.

Yo is a mobile notification app that sends a Yo and identifies the sender based on either the sender just feeling that need to say Yo or any of a growing range of simple integrations.

Yo is getting more complex and Natasha Lomas has an nice visual overview of their iOS app's most recent update. Yo is also available through Google Play, Amazon and the Windows Phone Store.

Growing Number Of Music-Related Yo Notifications

At its most basic Yo is a notification app. So it makes sense that Yo would have an IFTTT channel so that whenever something specific happens you can get a Yo about it.

As you can see from the Yo Index and such API-combining apps as Yo Songkick!, the combination of a Yo that you've selected and a source to trigger the Yo results in a very specific and easily identifiable reason for getting that Yo.

Are Music Sharing and/or Sales Coming To Yo?

Marc Köhlbrugge dug through Yo's app files and discovered one called BuySoundsController.nib with a special capability:

"When you send a yo it actually specifies the MP3 file they should play on your device."

Köhlbrugge also noted:

"I was able to have other sounds play when I yo’d people, but they fixed it right away after I notified them of this."

This capability opens the door to multiple possibilities from music messaging to music sales. It's going to be really odd if Yo becomes the first truly successful music messaging app but its unexpected success makes it easy to imagine even more surprises.

More:

Music Marketing With The Yo Messaging App

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.