Your Music Playlist Can Lead to Love, with Vinylly Creator Rachel Van Nortwick

No matter your musical tastes, when certain songs hit your eardrums, it’s a special feeling. The power to connect over music is also something that can’t be duplicated, and it can turn that special feeling into a magical moment with someone else. That’s the idea behind Vinylly, an app that pairs potential matches based on their music streaming data and music tastes.

Unlike other dating platforms, Vinylly users connect their Spotify accounts to their profile — no need (or opportunity) for extensive questionnaires or inflated first impressions. As users stream more music, the algorithm responds and Vinylly produces new matches. You can even discover new music by listening to recent songs and playlists from your matches.

Beyond its dating app, Vinylly has partnered with Musicians On Call (MOC) as its official non-profit charity. Musicians On Call brings live and recorded music to patients, family members, and staff in hospitals nationwide. We’re all stuck inside during the pandemic, so music plays an even more critical role in healing and helping us get through tough times. Musicians On Call is delivering that healing process through its virtual programs.

We caught up with Vinylly creator Rachel Van Nortwick to talk about the idea for Vinylly, the impact music has had on her life, and what’s next for the business.

Why did you start Vinylly?

I was inspired to create Vinylly, because as a lifelong music fan, I know how powerful music is in connecting people. I saw the opportunity to create an app that is centered around music compatibility after watching friends and family struggle with existing dating apps that only gave way to meaningless connections. I knew immediately that I wanted to create Vinylly and that I wanted it to leverage music data with a really great user experience.

What's a song that has a special meaning to you?

Nothing has been more impactful in my life than music, in general. I started listening to my parents’ records when I was a kid and then grew a massive cassette tape collection (thanks Columbia House!), snuck out of the house at 15 to see the Dead, and then moshed in the pit to Ministry with my older brother a few years later.

I have always loved a diverse range of music and learning about the bands and singers, their influences, and other musicians they connected with (because all music is connected). I played Simon and Garfunkel, Rage Against the Machine, and Cypress Hill loudly in my bedroom in high school and it made everything better. Music was and is everything to me.

What's the best compliment a Vinylly user has given you?

One of the reviews on the AppStore of the app is really great:

"Refreshing!! After years and years and several sites, it is here!! A real way to meet people, date, go to shows, even build friendships. All the other sites (hyperbole: but most!!) focus on pictures. Are you hot?! What do your images portray about you?! Ugh! Is that the connection you want? Or do you want to get to know someone?! About time a company matches people by music! Thank you! This is deep and timely. Vinyl never went out of style nor does bonding over music. It’s a shout out to the mix tape makers! And a shout out to people who love making playlists! Tune in people!! Music is the match!!"

What's surprised you about running a business?

Being a business owner, especially a start-up, is about honing the art of the follow-up. You have to be your own advocate and stay on top of, and involved in, every aspect of your business. No one is as impassioned and invested (in most cases) as you are, so you may have to be uncomfortably persistent and have plan b, and plan c and d lined up.

What was your worst moment as a business owner? 

The first developer I hired cost me time and money. I didn't realize initially that they were dragging my project out intentionally and that all the bugs they couldn't squash were actually really easy to address. Turns out, they were just far less competent than they suggested. And they were a referral. I learned the hard way but recovered with some talented, solid folks.

What's next for Vinylly?

Vinylly will continue to optimize how it presents matches using both the feedback loop from users and also machine learning. We expect to launch on Android soon and will look into expanding music service providers, language, and marketplace versions. Also, we are really proud to be supporting Musicians on Call as our official non-profit partner. Musicians On Call is sharing the healing power of music with hospital patients and caregivers and we will hope to expand our contribution to their mission.

The Good People, Cool Things Spotlights series features conversations with company founders. We discuss their reasons for starting a business, and the challenges, surprises, and opportunities along the way. Interested in being featured? Reach out via joey@goodpeoplecoolthings.com.