The five-month-old mobile app Moojic, which was launched in the first week of September 2013, is already available in more than 250 outlets across India and has received great feedback from merchants and users alike, if its co-founders are to be believed. But ironically, the story of Moojic is one that combines two of the most unlikeliest elements of a success story — failure, and a bit of boredom.

Moojic founders Kumaran Mahendran and Neha Behani

Three years ago, Neha Behani and Kumaran Mahendran had quit their high-flying corporate jobs and were working with start-ups and location- based apps. None of their products really soared. It was while the two were waiting for a friend at a coffee shop, mildly bored, that one of them got a brainwave.

“We were just whiling away time with nothing to do, when we wondered what do people do at coffee shops while waiting,” explains Behani. “That is when we thought about the jukebox and wondered whether there is a way we can combine the digital world with the real world. Music gets people together,” she adds. The team (there was a third co-founder at that time) had a business plan by the end of the day and had their first prototype ready in seven days.

How it works
Once a user checks into a place via the app, Moojic allows you to scan the place’s music catalogue (only if the location is listed with the app) and place song requests. Once checked in, the user can check out the next five songs queued up to be played and place a request accordingly.

“The playlist is managed by the Moojic hardware in the location that is designed by us but we don’t decide the content, although we do recommend the kind of music outlets’ owners could play,” explains Behani.

To ensure that everyone gets a fair chance, a user who has requested for a song will not be able to place a request again. “We can’t allow anyone to hog the jukebox,” points out Behani.