09 — Real-Time Audio — 2025
Open Jam
Open Jam is a free listening party app that lets friends listen to music together. There is no account creation, no paid music subscription, and no complex setup. Just create a room link and hit play.
Open Jam Case Study & Architecture
The Open Jam Challenge
Existing group music apps require paid subscriptions, complex logins, and third-party API tokens that hit limits. Friends spend ten minutes debugging setup before listening to a single track.
Engineering Approach for Open Jam
I removed every friction point. Guests join with one click using anonymous cookie tokens. The app uses public music metadata and synced video players. Socket.IO keeps playback cursors, song queues, and chat messages in sync across all screens with zero lag.
Core Highlights & Architecture
Built one-click guest rooms that let anyone join and listen in under three seconds.
Synchronized playback cursors and queue edits across devices using Socket.IO.
Designed a sleek retro vinyl player interface with ambient glow and live room rosters.