Warner Music Group, (WMG) the global music entertainment company, has announced a partnership with MediMusic, the British health tech start-up, to help trial ‘music as medicine’ to relieve pain, anxiety and stress.
Through the partnership, MediMusic will conduct research testing in several closed Randomised Controlled Trials in both the US and UK where they will deliver playlists from WMG’s catalogue of music to various patients and sample groups and observe how they respond in real-time.
MediMusic’s proprietary algorithms extract the relevant features from the digital DNA of a piece of music, resulting in a fingerprint for healthcare use. Using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and patient data, MediMusic then automatically creates personalised 20-minute playlists and plays the music through a streaming device called the MediBeat and a pair of headphones.
Playlist running order is designed to reduce heart rate and stress hormones, like cortisol, and promote relaxation through hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. A heart rate monitor worn on the wrist allows MediMusic to monitor the physiological effect of a piece of music, and if the listener’s heart rate does not respond as expected, MediMusic’s ‘Digital Drip’ uses AI and ML to swap out forthcoming playlist tracks to invoke slower relaxation. MediMusic also provides evidence based KPIs showing the service benefit and medication cost savings.
Michael Baines, VP, Digital Strategy and Business Development, WMG, said: “Together with MediMusic, we’re thrilled to explore the transformative healing power of music in their ‘music as medicine’ trials — we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”