What it does
Udio is an AI-powered music studio that allows users to create original songs from simple text prompts. The app handles everything from lyric writing and composition to generating accompanying artwork, providing a comprehensive toolkit for musical creation. Users describe the desired theme and style, and the AI generates complete tracks that can be further edited, extended, and shared.
Where it shines
Udio excels at lowering the barrier to creativity. The "Write for me" feature at 01:04 is a standout, instantly generating structured lyrics from a basic song idea, which helps users overcome writer's block. The app's modular approach to creation is another strength. Instead of generating a full, lengthy song at once, users create a short clip and can then use the "Extend" function (03:13) to iteratively add intros, sections, or outros, offering greater control. Finally, the unified artwork generation (02:33) creates a polished, shareable final product by creating album art based on the original song prompt.
UX highlights
- AI-assisted lyricism: The ability to generate context-aware lyrics (
01:04) is a core value proposition that keeps creative momentum going. - Modular song construction: The "Extend" feature (
03:13) with its clear waveform visualizer provides an intuitive way to build longer tracks section by section. - Integrated artwork: The app seamlessly connects the music creation process with visual art generation (
02:33), making the song feel complete. - Precise generation controls: In the advanced settings (
01:24), users can adjust parameters like clip start, lyrics timing, and strength, offering granular control over the AI's output. - Empty state guidance: The initial library screen (
00:41) is empty but features a prominent "Create a Song" call-to-action, immediately directing the new user to the app's primary function. - Quick sharing: Sharing a created track is straightforward, with a native share sheet appearing with just a couple of taps (
02:59).
Monetization & growth
The app presents its subscription model early. After the user lands in the empty library, a prominent "Upgrade" button is visible, which leads to a paywall (00:41). This paywall offers two plans, Monthly and Annual, with a "Save 20%" tag on the annual option to incentivize a longer commitment. The benefits of the paid plan, such as creating full-length songs and more creation credits, are clearly listed. This soft paywall approach allows users to explore the app's interface before deciding to subscribe.
Who it’s for
Udio is designed for a broad audience, from aspiring musicians and songwriters looking for inspiration to content creators needing original background music for their videos. It also appeals to hobbyists and casual users who want to experiment with AI-driven creativity without needing any technical music production skills. The simple, prompt-based interface makes it accessible to beginners, while the advanced settings offer enough control to satisfy more experienced creators.
Notes & opportunities
The onboarding experience feels abrupt. Presenting system permission prompts for tracking and notifications at the very beginning (00:01, 00:21) without context may lead to a high decline rate. A custom warm-up screen explaining the benefits of enabling these permissions could improve opt-ins. Additionally, the app could benefit from a more guided first-time user experience, perhaps walking the user through the creation of their very first song to better demonstrate the app's power immediately after sign-up.