--------- | Substack

Clubhouse had the perfect storm:

I strongly believe that a new company which builds the technology and a simple API to allow a drop in audio first social network solution will win the day. If you can be the Plaid of audio first social, you’ll kill it. Audio technology is a PITA to build, scale and maintain - for games and apps where that’s not part of the core business — it’s not ... See more

By combining socially networked music, listening and audio chatting, Roadtrip has created a product where there’s serendipity amongst strangers. Casual conversations from music to business flow in and out of the rooms, normally awkward silences are occupied by music which fills the void, and the vibe is unmatched.

I truly believe that this new world will optimize for connection over community -- at least with audio apps. Case and point with this app: I’ve jammed with tons of people I just met and had a blast - it was about the personal connection through voice that made the experience so pleasant and fun.

Clubhouse was the first, it’s not the last and I’m not sure it will be the ultimate winner. Clubhouse proved that social audio works on at least a small scale, but there’s a lot more to be proven. Comparing Roadtrip and Clubhouse isn’t even that fair. Clubhouse didn’t build in an anchor. Roadtrip did.

COVID has created a unique situation where not only is this the first time in modern history where we’ve been completely isolated - but it’s the first time where we’ve been completely isolated physically but completely connected virtually.

I believe the short term winner in this game will be a new company we haven’t seen yet. A developer first audio API built for bringing social audio networks to existing apps. Think of all the games and apps that could be dramatically improved if there was in app audio chat. Look at Fortnite - Epic didn’t succeed just because they built a dope game ... See more