# Rearrangeable Music Streaming Cubes The 'Pick Up and Play' Design Brings Whole New Ways to Spotify By Andrew Sztein | Published 2013-03-23 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pick-up-and-play References: [yankodesign](http://www.yankodesign.com/2013/03/21/hands-on-audio/) & [roymartens.nl](http://www.roymartens.nl/index.html) The whole idea behind music streaming services like [Spotify](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spotify-home-thing) is bringing a pick up and play mentality to music listening sessions. Now, thanks to a design by Roy Martens, there's a whole new way to interact with Spotify through his 'Pick Up and Play' system. It's a little tricky to explain, but it all becomes crystal clear once you see it in action. Essentially, 'Pick Up and Play' is a system that consists of a speaker and multiple [touch screen cubes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/retro-cube-2). The cubes contain sensors that can tell how they're arranged on a table. Users can shake a cube to shuffle tracks, line them up to create instant custom playlists and even gift one as a friend. The 'Pick Up and Play' design is part of Martens' master thesis in conjunction with Victor Guerro Corbi and Barry Brown. This means that a commercial release in the immediate future is unlikely for now, but the concept could make for a unique way to interact with musical online streaming. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.0/10 - Popularity: 23% | Activity: 59% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Inventions](https://www.trendhunter.com/inventions) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Customizable Music Experience:** The 'Pick Up and Play' design allows users to arrange touch screen cubes to create instant custom playlists, offering a personalized music experience. - **Interactive Music Listening:** The use of sensors in the touch screen cubes enables users to interact with Spotify in a more engaging and interactive way, transforming traditional music listening sessions. - **Social Music Sharing:** The ability to gift a touch screen cube to a friend presents a unique opportunity for social music sharing, enhancing the social aspect of music streaming platforms. ### Where This Applies - **Consumer Electronics:** The 'Pick Up and Play' design opens up opportunities for consumer electronics companies to develop innovative music streaming devices that offer a more interactive and personalized music listening experience. - **Music Streaming Services:** Music streaming service providers can explore the integration of interactive touch screen cubes like 'Pick Up and Play' to differentiate their offerings and attract users with a unique and customizable music experience. - **Product Design:** The concept of 'Pick Up and Play' presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the field of product design, where designers can create novel and interactive music-related products that redefine the way people engage with music. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Circular Streaming Service Controllers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spotify-home-thing.md) - [Modular Stacking Speaker Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stackable-speaker.md) - [Building Block Audio Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/customizable-bluetooth-speaker.md) - [Tree-Inspired Speaker Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lg-pick-stand-speaker.md) - [Modular Audio Immersion Speakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/takeout-speaker.md) - [Modular Speaker Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/grid-modular-sound.md) - [Mood-Powered Smartphone Speakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mixx-speaker.md) - [Retro Smartphone Music Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smartphone-music-player.md) - [Tubular Note-Shaped Speakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/premium-audio-device.md)