Spotify: not just for humans anymore
The popular streaming company conducted a global online survey which found that 71% of pet owners globally play music for their pets, and even more believe their pets actually like to listen to music.
January 30, 2020
Pet owners of the world: Spotify has created the purrfect algorithm to entertain both you and your furry friend. No longer should you feel guilt over the separation anxiety that your companion may feel when you are away, nor should you continue to wonder whether or not your dog loves Trippie Redd as much as you do.
On Jan. 13, the popular streaming service Spotify announced that they had developed a way to curate a personalized playlist for your cat, dog, lizard, bird or hamster. The five-step process is easy to complete. First, owners are asked to identify the breed of their animal. It next prompts them to select how energetic, friendly and curious they are on a sliding scale.
The final step in fully completing this playlist is to upload your favorite picture of them and to give Spotify their name. After this, it redirects you to a page that says the algorithm is “syncing your taste” and spits out your finalized playlist for you and your pet to enjoy.
For my dog, Lola, a nine-year-old cockapoo who likes to sleep all day, many of the sliders were varied which ultimately led to an interesting outcome. Songs such as Luke Combs’s “Beautiful Crazy” and Ed Sheran’s “The A Team” were among some of the slower songs chosen by Spotify’s algorithm. While these songs matched her lazy tendencies, upbeat songs from DaBaby, Trippie Redd and Ski Mask The Slump God were also present in the playlist to complement her more playful side.
To create its Pet Playlists algorithm, the company met with musicologist David Teie, a cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra who pioneered species-specific music and produced two albums of music for cats. Teie’s skills helped to develop the algorithm in accordance with the different tones that animals may find appealing.
“An energetic dog might get a playlist with tracks that are upbeat while a shy cat might get something with slower tempos,” said Spotify.
In the end, pet music may not be “an exact science,” but regardless, many people are pleased with the “true connection” these playlists attempt to bring between owners and pets.
