Seamless Playlists: My Journey Beyond Spotify for Spin Classes

The Spotify Struggle Is Real

I spent years sitting on the train home from my old finance job, frantically skipping through Spotify tracks to prep my cycling classes. I would listen to a single drop over and over, trying to guess if it was a Heavy Climb or just a Moderate Pace. Spotify is a fine player, but it is a terrible tool for building a workout.

You cannot filter by BPM, and you definitely cannot see where the energy peaks. Instructors spend hours doing this unpaid prep work, writing timestamps on note cards or Google Docs. It burns us out.

Finding the Beat and Building the Ride

When I finally quit my day job, I realized instructors needed a real spin class music app. We needed a place where the music and the programming actually lived together. That is why I built On the Beat.

Instead of guessing, you can pull up a track, see the exact BPM, and map your drills right to the music. If a song has a massive drop, you know exactly when to cue the Max Sprint or out-of-saddle jumps. It gives you your prep time back so you can focus on the people in the room.

My Own Mistakes (and How I Fixed Them)

I used to program this wrong all the time. I would spend three hours trying to force a playlist to flow perfectly, stressing over crossfades and exact second marks. I thought the riders cared deeply about every transition.

The truth is, I was so focused on my Spotify queue that I forgot to learn my riders' names. Most people just show up for a fun 40 minutes and a good sweat. They do not notice if a transition is slightly off, but they absolutely notice if you do not look at them.

Give yourself a break on the unpaid prep time this week. Pick a few heavy hitters, map your drills, and go enjoy the room.