Algorithm-Based Songs

Here’s a first for the music industry – a record contract with an algorithm. The goal is to provide customized listening experiences based on user input.

The “music” that’s generated by the algorithm is designed to reduce anxiety and improve focus using metrics such as time of day, location, weather and biometrics (such as heart rate), creating tailor-made “sound frequencies” that are reflective of the listener’s context. Ultimately, the developers would like to interconnect other hardware and software systems that take into consideration a user’s calendar, driving patterns and other information sources to be even more adaptable. The resulting sounds are meant to blend into the background rather than be “listened to” like traditional music.

A total of twenty algorithm-based albums will be released this year. Five are already available on services like Apple Music and Spotify as a collection of “sleep soundscapes,” including Clear Night, Rainy Night, Cloudy Afternoon, Cloudy Night and Foggy Morning. Others will be focused on calming the mind, improving concentration and boosting personal energy. The contract with Warner Music Group covers distribution and publishing. The copyrights will be retained by the software engineers who created the adaptive code.