Musicboard Users Fear Shutdown Amid App Outages and Silence

Musicboard users woke up one day to find their favorite music discovery app broken. Servers were down, the website vanished, and the Android version disappeared from Google Play. Over recent months, these problems built up, leaving a loyal group of fans in the dark. The company behind it, run by founders Johannes Vermandois and Erik Heimer, now says the app is not shutting down. But with no clear timeline or details, worry spreads across forums like Reddit.

Background

Musicboard launched as a simple way for people to find new music through smart recommendations. It built a small but dedicated following, with around 462,000 downloads across platforms. Users loved how it surfaced hidden tracks and built personal playlists without the noise of big streaming services. For years, it operated quietly, appealing to those tired of algorithm-driven feeds from giants like Spotify.

Trouble started several months ago. First came spotty outages, where the app would crash or fail to load. Then the website went offline for days at a time. The biggest blow hit Android users when the app vanished from the Play Store. iOS users still had access, but even there, features felt unreliable. No emails, no posts on social media, no announcements—nothing from the team. This silence fueled rumors of an impending shutdown.

On Reddit, threads filled with questions and frustration. One user posted about losing access to years of saved music. Others shared screenshots of error messages. The community, though not huge, rallied. They traded tips on backing up data and suggested backup apps like Last.fm or smaller discovery tools. Some even started archiving playlists manually, fearing the worst.

Key Details

The issues peaked in recent weeks. Servers experienced what the company calls 'temporary downtime,' but users report problems stretching back months. The Android app's removal from Google Play left thousands without updates or access. Efforts to contact support yielded automated replies or silence.

User-Led Save Effort

A group of users stepped up. They formed an unofficial campaign called Help Save Musicboard, led by a user named Lavarini. Volunteers run it from Reddit and social channels. The goal is straightforward: pressure the company for answers and keep the community together.

"The Help Save Musicboard initiative aims to support awareness and discussion around the long-term sustainability of the indie app Musicboard and its community." – Lavarini, via email

Lavarini and others have reached out to tech sites and forums. They want options to export personal data, like playlists and listening history. Without that, years of curation could vanish. The group has grown to dozens of active members, sharing workarounds and pressing for transparency.

The company's response came after outside inquiries. From their official email, signed simply 'Musicboard,' they stated:

"App is not shut down. The servers had temporary downtime, which has now been quickly fixed. And we’re working together with the Google Play team to get the app back up there. The app wouldn’t shut down without a respectful timeline for the users and official communication. App is staying live."

Follow-up questions about timelines, causes, or data export went unanswered. Servers appear stable now for some, but the Android issue lingers.

Founders Vermandois and Heimer have history in tech. They co-founded Frank AI, an AI chatbot app. That project hit snags when a planned buyer, Freedom Holdings, Inc., pulled out in September 2024. Their other venture, Dreamsands, Inc., runs Helm, an AI therapy app still available. Neither founder has commented publicly on Musicboard's state.

What This Means

For users, the stakes feel personal. Musicboard stood out in a crowded market by focusing on genuine discovery, not ads or mainstream pushes. Losing it means rebuilding collections elsewhere, often with less tailored results. Indie apps like this keep competition alive against big players, offering niche features that shape tastes.

The company's brief statement eases immediate fears but leaves gaps. No word on why outages happened or how they fix underlying problems. Restoring the Android app hinges on Google Play approval, which could take weeks. Users want guarantees on data portability, a standard practice for apps at risk.

Broader trends play in. Small apps struggle with server costs, especially post-pandemic when funding dried up. AI hype draws talent away, as seen with the founders' side projects. Yet Musicboard's survival shows demand for human-curated alternatives to algorithm overload.

The Help Save effort continues. Lavarini plans more outreach, including petitions and developer contacts. Community forums buzz with alternatives, but many hold out hope. If Musicboard rebounds, it could strengthen user trust through better communication. For now, fans wait, playlists paused, ears tuned for updates.

This situation highlights risks for niche tools. Shutdowns happen quietly, but vocal users can force responses. Musicboard's path forward depends on quick action—restore access, share plans, enable exports. Without that, even denials ring hollow amid the quiet.