Melingo MVP PRD

Summary

Melingo is a music-powered language learning platform that enables users to learn Chinese, Korean, and Japanese through karaoke-style lyric immersion, real-time translation, and gamified progress tracking. Users engage with their favorite songs while building language skills via contextual learning, repetition, and emotional connection.

The app is designed for Gen Z and Millennial learners (ages 16–35) who are culturally driven — fans of K-pop, J-pop, anime, C-dramas, and East Asian music. Melingo turns language learning into a joyful, music-based experience that’s sticky, effective, and culturally immersive.

Problem

Traditional language learning apps rely heavily on rote memorization and flashcards, which can be boring and hard to sustain. Meanwhile, millions of learners are organically using foreign songs (e.g., K-pop or anime theme songs) to expose themselves to a target language — but there’s no app that bridges this behavior into a structured, gamified learning experience.

There’s a lack of:

• Culturally relevant tools that convert lyrical exposure into active learning

• Karaoke-style lyric translation systems with pronunciation + romanization

• Music-first platforms tailored to East Asian language fans (Chinese, Korean, Japanese)

• Gamified experiences that reward real language input through song

Market Fit & Opportunity

Macro Trends

• The language learning apps market is growing at a CAGR of 14.4%, projected to reach $16.2B by 2033, with North America contributing 38% of that growth. Link

• Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are the fastest-growing target languages among U.S. learners, especially Gen Z

• Music is a top motivation and tool for language learning: 52% of Americans use music to learn a language, and 74% say they’ve learned new words via foreign songs

• Cultural waves (K-pop, anime, J-dramas, C-dramas) are pulling more learners into language study through entertainment
  

Melingo’s Niche

Melingo sits at the intersection of:

• Karaoke interaction

• Romanized + English-friendly lyric translations

• Memory-aiding lyric repetition

• Gamified tasks and streaks

This provides differentiation from Duolingo (which lacks musical context), LingoClip (minimal gamification), and Kpop Pro (Korean-only). Melingo can scale across multiple languages with content packs.

Target Audience

• Ages 16–35

• U.S.-based learners (initially), expanding globally

• Fans of K-pop, anime, J-pop, C-dramas

• Casual and hobbyist learners
  Learners who’ve tried Duolingo or YouTube lyric videos

• Heritage learners (2nd-gen Chinese/Korean/Japanese)
  

MVP Features & Product Release Strategy

In the first 3-6 months post-MVP launch, Melingo will be hyper-focused in top of funnel and mid-funnel growth. The goal will be to grow and generate interest with the freemium features such as the lyrics translator.

Karaoke Lyric Player

• Time-synced lyrics with:

• Original line

• Romanization (Pinyin, Revised RR, Hepburn)

• K-Speak™ (English-friendly pronunciation)
  Natural English translation

• Line-by-line toggles (customize what you see)

• “Karaoke Mode” with playback control + highlight animation
  

User Dashboard

• Personalized stats (songs learned, lyrics memorized, streaks)

• Task checklist (practice, review, new song)

• Achievement board

• Integrated karaoke player
  

Future Enhancements (Post-MVP)

• AI pronunciation feedback

• Social features (song clubs, duet mode, community playlists)

• Smart curriculum progression (beginner → fluent by song complexity)

• School/teacher version

• Song Discovery

  • Search by language, genre, difficulty, artist

  • Curated packs (e.g., “Anime Ballads”, “Top K-Pop Choruses”)
    “Learned” vs “In Progress” playlists

• Learning Tools

  “Verse Quizzes”: fill in missing words, match pronunciation, or reorder lines

  “Lyric Breakdown” view per songTap-to-reveal translations and definitions

  “Replay this phrase” button with spaced repetition

• Gamification

  XP system for learning songs

  Daily/weekly streaks

  Achievements (e.g., First Song, 10-Day Streak, Fluent Chorus)Challenge modes (e.g., “Perfectly Sing This Verse”)

  Leaderboards (optional, friendly competition)

Revenue Model (Concept)

Melingo would benefit from having a freemium model to drive conversions to paid subscriptions. Leveraging sticky, but free features like the lyrics translation feature and free account sign ups to track song histories - we can attract more top of funnel users and potentially increase converstion. Below is an outline of hypothetical prices and other avenues of revenue:

• Freemium model

• Free: 3 song unlocks/day, limited quiz attempts, community mode

• Premium ($4.99–$7.99/month): unlimited songs, offline access, advanced scoring, exclusive content packs

• Music partnership revenue (labels, artists)

• Affiliate sales (Spotify/Apple Music deep links, merch partners)
  

Success Metrics

User Engagement

• Avg. time spent per session (target: 7+ minutes)

• Songs learned per week

• Streaks and task completion rate for user engagement

Growth

• Conversion-to-Premium for growth

• Week-over-week (WoW) account creation

• WoW premium enrollment (without trying for free first)

Retention

• Daily Active Users (DAUs) / Monthly Active Users (MAUs)