The ‘Mighty’ way to stream Spotify

There was a time when fitness fanatics would exercise to the beat of their iPod Shuffles. Of course, this was before smartphones and music streaming services rendered the device almost obsolete.

But the Mighty Audio, which is shaped like the Shuffle, streams Spotify.

The Mighty is powered by Android and uses Bluetooth to sync playlists from your phone. The gadget has 4GB of storage, standard Shuffle controls (next song, pause, play, volume) and allows users to switch between playlists. Anthony Pu, head of operations at Mighty Audio, explains why he wanted to change the on-the-go music experience.

What inspired you to develop the Mighty Audio?

Mighty came from a personal pain point I experienced several years ago. I used to download songs and used the iPod Shuffle to exercise and run with. When Spotify became available in the U.S. in 2011, I immediately switched over and my first question was: “Where is the Shuffle for this?” I honestly assumed it would be made soon after, but here we are today and we’re the first ones to introduce a device like this to the world. Before Mighty, people had to use their smartphones to listen to Spotify while exercising and we believe the need for Mighty is even greater now because of how bulky, fragileand expensive smartphones are today.

Why would people want to stream music without their phone?

There are a few reasons for this. The first is that some people want to unplug from their phones and get away from text messages and notifications. Mighty lets people keep their music without the distractions of the digital world. Another great reason is that because Mighty stores the Spotify songs for offline play, users will also benefit from saving data from live streaming, saving memory bystoringsongs for offline play on Mighty instead of a user’s phoneand saving battery on their smartphones.

How does Mighty Audio work?

The setup and sync process with Mighty is quick and easy. There are no cords or a computer required, just Bluetooth and your smartphone. After you download the Mighty app and turn on the device, the app will automatically pair with your device via Bluetooth. Once connected, you will be asked to sign in to your Spotify Premium account. After logging in, you can sync all your playlists to Mighty in the same way that you sync them for offline play on your phone. After a quick sync, your music is ready to go on your Mighty.

Who is Mighty for?

Mighty is for who we’re coining as ‘the active and unplugged world’. This world consists of anyone who wants to comfortably listen to music on-the-go or who enjoys disconnecting from digital distraction. User profiles span from runners and weightlifters to snowboarders and yogis.

Does Mighty work with other apps or just Spotify?

Mighty currently only works with Spotify. We wanted to be very focused on this first version to give the best possible user experience. That being said, we have all of the infrastructure in place to sync with a variety of apps. Anything that runs on Android can technically work on Mighty. We plan on exploring integrations with other music streaming services at the conclusion of our campaign.

Does Mighty work with non-paying Spotify accounts?

No, Mighty only works with Spotify Premium accounts. The offline functionality from Spotify is only offered to Premium subscribers and because we are leveraging that functionality, Mighty also requires a Premium account.

Mighty Audio is currently at the funding stage on Kickstarterwith a sale date expected this November.

– By Daniel Casillas