Music education faces a significant challenge – approximately 90% of people who start learning guitar eventually quit. This statistic isn't just a number; it represents millions of unfulfilled dreams and untapped potential. Enter Mak Grgic, founder of Notey's World, who is determined to change this narrative through innovative technology and game design. As a Grammy-nominated professional artist, university music professor, and serial entrepreneur, Mak brings a unique perspective to the problem. Alongside his co-founder Adithya, a computer scientist specializing in AI and machine learning who is also a guitarist, Mak has created a platform that transforms musical instruments into game controllers, making practice both fun and effective.

In a recent episode of Startups with Stu, Mak presented his Techstars-backed startup to host Stuart Draper, demonstrating how Notey's World is revolutionizing music education. The company, which completed Techstars' Fall 2023 cohort, has shown impressive growth with $207,000 in first-year revenue, exceeding their goal of $188,000. With 36 school partnerships and counting, plus over 12,500 consumer users, Notey's World is quickly establishing itself as a major player in the education technology space.

This blog post explores how Notey's World is addressing the music education dropout problem through gamification, customizable content, and AI-driven learning paths. We'll dive into the technology behind their impressive user retention rates, examine their market strategy, and look at what makes their approach so effective for both schools and individual learners.

Turning Instruments Into Game Controllers  

At the heart of Notey's World is a revolutionary concept – transforming any musical instrument into a game controller. Using a custom audio engine, the app analyzes and transcribes pitches from any instrument or voice in real-time, allowing users to control game actions by playing notes correctly. This technology creates an immediate feedback loop that makes practice engaging and rewarding.

The development process began with simple prototypes, including a basic Unity-based game where a cube jumped over barriers in response to correctly played notes. This proved immediately sticky with young learners, who focused intently on hitting the right notes to make the game character respond. As Mak explained during the podcast, this immediate connection between playing a note and seeing a reaction in the game creates a powerful motivation to practice – something traditional music education often struggles to provide.

What makes this approach different from other music learning apps is that Notey's World isn't just a gamified platform – it's actually a game. The experience includes all the elements that make games addictive: XP points, leaderboards, character customization, and progressively challenging levels. By wrapping these game mechanics around music practice, Notey's World transforms what might otherwise be tedious repetition into an exciting journey where progress is visible, measurable, and rewarding.

Personalized Learning Paths Driven by AI  

One of the most innovative aspects of Notey's World is its AI-generated learning paths. The platform recognizes that every student has different strengths and weaknesses when learning music. Some might excel at certain notes or sections while struggling with others. Traditional music education often follows a one-size-fits-all approach, but Notey's World leverages AI to create customized learning experiences.

The AI technology monitors user performance and identifies specific learning deficiencies. It then generates personalized learning paths that target those areas while maintaining the overall goal. As Mak demonstrated in the podcast, this means two students learning the same song might take completely different routes to mastery, with the app adapting exercises to address each student's specific challenges. This personalization keeps students engaged and prevents the frustration that often leads to quitting.

The automatic level generator is another groundbreaking feature that sets Notey's World apart. This technology can take any piece of music – whether it's an audio file, sheet music, or (soon) video – and transform it into a series of game levels. The system breaks down complex songs into their fundamental components, creating a progression that starts with simple elements and gradually builds to the complete piece. This means users can learn any song they want, from "Country Roads" to the latest hits, without being limited to pre-selected content.

Impressive Metrics and Market Strategy  

The numbers behind Notey's World tell a compelling story about the effectiveness of their approach:

• 67% retention rate at day 90, compared to an industry average of just 2%

• 11% conversion from install to free trial (industry average: 5%)

• 48% conversion from free trial to subscription (industry average: 15-25%)

• 3,300 monthly active users and growing

• 36 school partnerships across multiple states

• $207,000 revenue in first year of market operation

• Projected $840,000 revenue for 2025 (4x growth)

These metrics indicate that Notey's World has found a formula that works. Their approach to user acquisition has been straightforward but effective, using targeted advertising on Meta and Instagram, along with App Store search. Their creatives often feature Mak playing songs and demonstrating the app, or user-generated content from parents showing their children's progress. They specifically target parents of children aged 6-13 who are beginning music learners.

For schools, Notey's World offers specialized licenses at around $3,600 for six months, covering 100 students. The school version includes privacy features that allow students to log in using just a school code and username, addressing a primary concern for educational institutions. Teachers receive dashboards showing student progress, and weekly reports keep parents informed about their children's practice habits.

Real-World Impact and Success Stories  

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Notey's World is the real-world impact it's having on music learners. During the podcast, Mak shared a testimonial from a mother whose daughter had been taking traditional guitar lessons for almost two years with minimal progress. After just one month with Notey's World, the daughter made more progress than in the previous six months combined. More importantly, she was excited to practice, eager to earn in-game rewards, and customize her character.

This transformation from reluctant practice to enthusiastic engagement is what makes Notey's World so powerful. By tapping into the intrinsic reward of playing music and combining it with the extrinsic rewards of game achievements, the platform creates a positive feedback loop that keeps users coming back. The immediate satisfaction of controlling game elements by playing notes correctly bridges the gap between effort and reward that often derails beginners.

The company has also begun partnering with professional musicians, including Grammy-winning artists like Stewart Copeland from The Police. These partnerships create specialized content worlds within the app, allowing fans to learn directly from their musical heroes. It's a win-win arrangement – artists gain a new way to connect with fans and generate revenue, while Notey's World expands its content library with high-profile collaborations.

The Future of Music Education  

As Notey's World continues to grow, the company is poised to expand beyond its current focus on guitar instruction. Plans are already in place to add support for violin and piano, opening up new markets and opportunities. The core technology – transforming instruments into game controllers – works for any instrument that produces distinct pitches, making the potential market enormous.

According to Mak during the podcast interview, the timing for Notey's World couldn't be better. He states the online music learning market is growing at approximately 70% year over year, a trend he attributes to the pandemic-accelerated shift to digital platforms. Mak estimates the total addressable market at $35 billion, suggesting Notey's World is targeting a massive opportunity. During his conversation with Stuart, he shared what he called a striking statistic – that one in seven people have tried guitar at some point in their lives, with 90% eventually abandoning their musical journey. If these figures are accurate, they would represent a substantial pool of potential users who might benefit from Notey's more engaging approach to music education.

The upcoming video converter feature will further lower barriers to entry, allowing users to simply drag and drop their favorite song from any social media platform and have the app automatically generate a game world based on it. This technology, combined with the planned content marketplace, will create an ecosystem where users can share and discover new learning experiences, potentially transforming Notey's World from an app into a community.

Join the Music Education Revolution  

Notey's World represents more than just another education app – it's a fundamentally new approach to music learning that addresses the core reasons why so many people give up. By making practice fun, personalized, and immediately rewarding, it's helping users overcome the initial barriers that typically lead to quitting. The results speak for themselves, with retention rates far exceeding industry standards and users making months of progress in just weeks.

For parents looking to give their children a positive relationship with music, Notey's World offers an alternative to the traditional struggle of getting kids to practice. At $59 for an annual subscription, it provides a uniquely engaging experience that keeps children coming back voluntarily. For schools, it enhances music education programs with technology that students actually want to use. As Notey's World seeks to raise $1 million (with the option to oversubscribe to $1.5 million) at an $8 million valuation, they're positioned to accelerate their growth and expand their impact.

With their proven technology, impressive metrics, and clear market opportunity, Notey's World demonstrates that the future of music education centers on creating experiences so enjoyable that students never want to stop. Through innovative technology and thoughtful design, they're turning instruments that gather dust in corners into controllers for adventures that keep players coming back day after day. The 90% dropout problem isn't inevitable – it's simply a challenge that has found its solution.