Mflow

mflow was an online social music streaming, recommendation, and mp3-retailing service. It allowed users to search, stream, and recommend music free of charge.

mflow
Developer(s)	Digital Distribution Networks
Initial release	2008; 17 years ago (2008)
Written in	C++, HTML5, JavaScript, C# and ASP.NET
Available in	English
Type	Music Streaming and Social Networking
Licence	Proprietary commercial software
Website	www.mflow.com

Company background

History

Founded in 2008, mflow was a social music-sharing and downloading service, developed by Digital Distribution Networks in London.

The service was first launched as a limited beta, open only to invited users in December 2009. The first iteration of the service was a software client that ran on users' machines. In August 2010, mflow started developing an HTML5-based internet application. On December 3, 2010, mflow launched the first beta version of their web-based service with an expanded feature list.

Music sales and rewards system

Uniquely, mflow rewarded users for recommending music. 20% of the retail price of tracks and albums sold on mflow were redistributed back to the recommending user(s) as “mflow credits”.^[1]

Catalogue

As of January 2011, mflow had a catalogue of approximately five million tracks. Label partners included: Universal, Sony, PIAS, Beggars, Ingrooves, Skint Records, Domino Recordings, Ministry of Sound, IODA, and many more.^[2]

Closure

As of January 2012, the site was closed for business. A message on the company's home page stated: "Over the past few months we've been working on a top-secret new project... we can't share this grown-up mflow with you until we're confident it's better than anything you've used before." It was later revealed the site would be closed for good to make way for a new mobile streaming app titled Bloom.fm.^[3]

Directed by Thong Nguyen and Oleg Fomenko, the company posted public accounts in 2010 recording total liabilities of £7.6 million, and -£5.4M in net assets.^[4]