Warner Music has become the first major label to sign a record deal with an algorithm.
The German mood music app Endel has been signed to create 20 albums this year alone with five already released. The app creates personalised soundscapes for users depending on their requirements, whether it be to relax or to focus. The official site refers to it as “a cross-platform audio ecosystem”.
The app, currently available on smartphones and via the Amazon Echo, uses inputs such as the time of day and the weather to create certain sounds. So far, the five albums released have been called Clear Night, Rainy Night, Cloudy Afternoon, Cloudy Night and Foggy Morning, all based around different types of sleep.
“I’m certain listeners enjoying these new albums will benefit from reduced anxiety and improved mood,” said Kevin Gore, president of Warner Music Group’s arts music division, described as “a new umbrella of labels focused on signing, developing and marketing releases across under-served genres”.
The next 15 albums will be focused on the app’s other modes: focus, relax and on-the-go. Investors include Amazon Alexa Fund and Major Lazer’s Jillionaire.
“We are focused on creating personalised and adaptive real-time sound environments, but we are happy to share those pre-recorded albums to demonstrate the power of sound and our technology,” said Oleg Stavitsky, founder and CEO of Endel.
