Duolingo wants to make its music lessons more addictive

Fast Company

2 days ago

DESIGN
'Our vision is to make music learning feel just as engaging and habit-forming as language learning does on Duolingo.'
[Images: Duolingo, Nataliia Hruts/iStock/Getty Images Plus]
BY
Listen to this Article More info
0:00 / 2:58
Duolingo may be known as the world's largest language learning app, but it also wants to get users hooked on learning music.
On August 6, Duolingo announced its plan to acquire the team behind the London-based gaming startup NextBeat. The startup's mobile gaming catalog, which includes Piano Tile-style games like Beatstar and Country Star, has amassed around $200 million in revenue. Now, NextBeat's staff will help Duolingo make its Music course more fun, effective, and, ultimately, something you don't want to put down.
'[ Beatstar and Country Star ] combined chart-topping licensed music with intuitive, satisfying gameplay and reached tens of millions of players worldwide,' a Duolingo spokesperson said of the acquisition. 'The team's background spans game design, music licensing, live operations, and mobile monetization, all of which will strengthen Duolingo Music and beyond.'
For Duolingo, the deal is part of a larger plan to build out its non-language courses using its uniquely gamified learning model—ultimately moving toward becoming an all-encompassing education app.
What's next for Duolingo Music
The NextBeat acquisition announcement came on the same day as Duolingo's second quarter 2025 earnings report, which notched a 41% increase in revenue year-over-year and an 84% increase in net income. The report marked an overwhelmingly positive quarter for Duolingo, in spite of the backlash the company received earlier this year when CEO Luis Von Ahn announced that the company would be going 'AI-first.'
On an earnings call with investors, von Ahn shared that the company would be raising its full-year guidance 'while still investing in both our core business and exciting new areas like chess, math, and music that we believe will drive long-term growth.'
Duolingo first added math courses to its repertoire in 2022, followed by music in 2023 and chess earlier this year. While the company declined to share specific numbers on the Music course's performance, a spokesperson did say that 'millions of learners' are studying music on Duolingo, and the company views it as a 'key pillar of our evolution into a broader learning platform.'
Currently, Duolingo's sole Music offering is a piano course. Through the NextBeat acquisition, though, the company plans to experiment with new modules like guitar, voice, or rhythm-based activities, chief business officer Bob Meese told Bloomberg.
Further, a spokesperson shared with Fast Company, NextBeat will help to smooth out the in-lesson user experience by improving course pacing, personalization, and feedback mechanics.
'We're focused on making the Music course even more joyful and captivating,' the spokesperson said. 'Our vision is to make music learning feel just as engaging and habit-forming as language learning does on Duolingo.'
The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Snelling is an editorial assistant for Fast Company with a focus on product design, branding, art, and all things Gen Z. Her stories have included an exploration into the wacky world of Duolingo's famous mascot, an interview with the New Yorker 's art editor about the scramble to prepare a cover image of Donald Trump post-2024 election, and an analysis of how the pineapple became the ultimate sex symbol More