Vinylly
In short: Vinylly was a music-based dating app that matched people using their Spotify listening data. It was created by Rachel Van Nortwick in the United States. Dating Industry Insights reports that it raised venture funding in 2018 and shut down within three years, and cites it as an example of music matching failing to scale.
Key facts
| Type | Dating app |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Phoenix, United States |
| Status | Closed |
| Founder | Rachel Van Nortwick created Vinylly [Nylon, 15 April 2021] |
| Launch | Vinylly matched users using their Spotify listening data, letting them hear matches' recent songs and playlists, and expanded to Android in 2021 [Nylon, April 2021] |
| Funding | Vinylly raised venture funding in 2018 on the premise that musical compatibility predicts relationship success [Dating Industry Insights, 2018] |
| Fact | Vinylly shut down within three years of raising venture funding in 2018 [Dating Industry Insights, 2021] |
| Headquarters | Crunchbase lists Vinylly in Phoenix, Arizona, United States [Crunchbase] |
About Vinylly
Vinylly was a dating app that paired people based on their music tastes. Users connected a Spotify account and could listen to the recent songs and playlists of their matches. The app was created by Rachel Van Nortwick and was available on iOS and, from 2021, Android in the United States and Canada. Crunchbase lists the company in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dating Industry Insights reports that Vinylly raised venture funding in 2018 on the premise that musical compatibility predicts relationship success, and that it shut down within three years. The publication groups it with Tastebuds as dedicated music dating apps that failed to scale beyond niche audiences, even though Spotify integrations became common on mainstream apps such as Tinder.
Vinylly is referenced in the industry press as a cautionary case when new music-based matching products launch, such as the Flutrr partnership with Saregama covered by Dating Industry Insights in 2026.
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Questions about Vinylly
What was Vinylly?
Vinylly was a dating app that matched people using Spotify listening data, created by Rachel Van Nortwick.
Is Vinylly still running?
Dating Industry Insights reports that Vinylly shut down within three years of raising venture funding in 2018.
What is Vinylly?
Vinylly was a music-based dating app that matched people using their Spotify listening data. It was created by Rachel Van Nortwick in the United States.
Where is Vinylly based?
Vinylly is based in Phoenix, United States.