ARC

Arc is an interactive setlist assistive tool that allows indie music artists to make data-informed decisions for their setlist. LLM serves as a powerful AI setlist tool, allowing the artists to hit the sweet spot between continuing to have full creative control, and leveraging data to craft their set emotional journey.

Project

ArtCenter College of Design Course (Emerging Tech: AI)

Design skills

Prototype, User / data flow diagram, Wireframe, Branding, UX

Applications

Figma, InDesign, Illustrator, Figjam

Core Flows

01

1

Node-based setlist board & visualizer

Artists edit and refine their recommended setlist in a fluid manner with node-based interaction. Turning on Arc visualizer provides deeper insights on feels, rhythm, and the picture emotion arc of their setlist.

2

Audience sentiment analyzes & tracks real-time reaction to the setlist

During show, Arc monitors and logs audience sentiment for each setlist song. Whenever artists are free to stop the session, Arc provides key learnings and suggests recording removal for cleaner history log. Learnings are saved to the artist’s setlist for future reference and more accurate suggestions.

3

Structured set-up process, allowing artists to fully customize their goals and control their data input

Artists go through an easy 3 steps set-up process to help Arc calibrate & create the right setlist template for the artist.

User + data flow

A big part of our class is to consider different types of data an AI tool would need to automate actions, and where and how the system get that data. For Arc, a lot of those decisions fall under the setlist setup process and the Live Audience Sentiment feature. Seeing how intertwined data is with designing Arc successfully, I created a user/data flow to identify the most critical points in the user flow where data needed to come in. This helped me decide the right UI and interaction for those moments.

Live Audience Sentiment

Set up process

Design system

Trends

A new music artist generation has risen to popularity at a speed never-seen before thank to social media.

This untraditional approach means they haven’t accumulated enough performing experience, mastered the craft of setlist for their crowd or reading the room while performing. They’re used to performing to a much smaller crowd but overnight, able to perform to a much bigger audience.

These artists have already been releasing songs for at least few years on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and posting short-form content. All of this build up a well of data that can be used to the artist’s advantage.

As a music artist, avid live show goer, & social media user, I’ve observed a trend

Arc leverages these opportunities for artists.

Ideation

02

Persona

Sydney Rose | Rising Indie Artist

Her recent song went viral on social media, moving her from performing to a small crowd of hundreds of people to 20k people crowds at big festivals.

With 12 upcoming shows, she's journaled down some songs she wants to play.

Inspirations: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine.

Setlist Goals:

Strategically placing certain songs on the setlist to increase streams post show.
Making sure her audience stays for the whole set.
Bringing her audience on a captivating emotional journey, the same way she felt when she went to a Phoebe Bridgers concert 2 years ago.
Highlight her vocal range

Wireframes

Screens

Research

03

Market research

Savy music creators face outdated live show tools

The “creator economy” is expanding in music, with a large portion of artists choosing to self-manage, self-release, and book their own shows.

Platforms like Bandcamp, DistroKid, SoundCloud, and TikTok have empowered artists to grow followings without labels — but tools to help them with live performance strategy are still limited.

Artists can distribute their music easily, but tools for performance storytelling, audience engagement, and post-show reflection are either generic (Google Docs, Notes app) or nonexistent.

User journey

I conducted a broad market analysis on the tools and platforms indie artists are using to prepare for their live shows, from planning logistics to visual and lighting preparation, to finding inspiration and analysis for their setlist. I saw while visual tools are developed, tools for setlist research are outdated. So I dived deeper into the an artist process around their setlist, from the moment they book a show to the moment they finish performing.

Brainstorming & researching

Crafting & learning

Archiving

Next Steps

04

User survey + test:

In addition to research and drawing from my perspective as a music artist and audience, the next steps is to get more verification of interest in the tool from other indie artists.

Test core flows:

Adding/removing a setlist item on the setlist board
Using the Live Audience Sentiment feature.
Setting up a new setlist.

Data transparency and control:

Intellectual and creative property is what matters the most to the artist, especially in the current landscape where AI generative tools are using artist’s work to train and create music without their permission. Arc is not a music creation platform, but when an artist start making decisions to edit and refine a setlist to curate the right emotion arc, it becomes their intellectual and creative property. So it’s important for an artist-facing tool like Arc to address this concern in the product.

The next step is to flesh out a system where:

Artists can opt in or out of giving Arc their setlist data for training and reference.

A reward system, or something that can benefit the artist if they decide to give their setlist data. At the least, maybe the action of uploading their setlist to an Arc community would give Arc permission to reference it, but also make it a public resource for the whole Arc community.

2026

Bri Mai

Get in Touch

bri@brimai.design

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