The Sound Reserve
An ambient sound app for sleep, focus and wellbeing, built on Spotify and Apple Music rather than original recordings
Ambient sound apps usually mean building an entire content library first
Apps that offer birdsong, waves or forest sounds for sleep and focus typically need to record or license a library of original audio before they can launch. Old Rope Records wanted a faster way to offer the same experience.
SOLUTION
Curated ambient listening, powered by existing streaming catalogues
We designed an app that integrates directly with Spotify and Apple Music, curating ambient sound, birds, waves, ocean, forest, into a focused listening experience for sleep, focus and wellbeing.
RESULT
Launched on iOS and Android
The Sound Reserve launched and is available on both iOS and Android today.
6 months
Brief to launch
At a glance
Sector: Media and entertainment.
Platforms: iOS, Android.
What we did: Product design, UX and UI design.
Timeline: 6 months.
Client: Old Rope Records.
The challenge
Ambient sound apps for sleep and wellbeing are a proven category, but most are built around an original content library, which takes time and investment to record or license before an app can even launch. Old Rope Records wanted to offer the same kind of experience, birdsong, waves, ocean, forest sounds, for sleep, focus and wellbeing, without starting from an empty content library.
What we designed
Rather than building original recordings, we designed The Sound Reserve to integrate directly with Spotify and Apple Music, curating existing ambient tracks and playlists into a focused listening experience. That let the app launch with genuine depth and variety from day one, drawing on catalogues that already existed, while the design work concentrated on making that curated experience feel intentional and calm rather than like a playlist wrapper.
Results
The Sound Reserve launched and is live today on both iOS and Android.
Frequently asked
Why integrate with Spotify and Apple Music instead of building an original sound library?
Speed and depth. Without the upfront cost of recording or licensing original content, the app could launch with a genuinely wide range of ambient audio from day one, drawing on catalogues that already exist rather than starting from nothing.
How is this different to just opening a playlist in Spotify directly?
The experience is built specifically around sleep, focus and wellbeing use cases, curated and organised for that purpose, with an interface designed around calm, minimal interaction rather than a general-purpose music app’s browsing and search-first design.
Does relying on streaming catalogues limit what the app can offer compared to original content?
It trades some control over exact audio quality and exclusivity for genuine breadth and fast time to market. For an app in this category, having a wide, well-curated range of ambient sound available immediately mattered more than owning a smaller, original library outright.
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