As you know, at Soundiiz, we’re passionate about new technologies. And by music streaming, of course! So, we’re on the lookout for every new advance in this field and keep an eye out for anything that might shake up our user habits. We recently learned that YouTube Music is trying to revolutionize song discovery with AI. How does it work? What is it?
We’ll tell you all about it!
YouTube Music is trying to revolutionize song discovery: what’s going on?
YouTube Music has just unveiled two groundbreaking features, sparking a frenzy in the tech world. First, a sound recognition tool was previously used in the test phase and is now deployed worldwide. Called “You sing it, we’ll play it,” its title couldn’t be more precise.
The principle is simple: You can hum or sing a song directly on YouTube Music, and the platform will try to find it. It’s a different approach to that of Shazam, the leader in the field, and a way of radically changing the process of discovering new songs. How many times have we had a melody or bits of lyrics in our head without knowing which song they belong to? YouTube Music makes it possible to find them and, of course, add them to your playlists.
What else?
Perhaps even more in demand than the voice recognition tool, YouTube Music is currently testing a tool called “Ask for music any way you like.” By clicking this button, the application allows you to enter two types of commands: a voice command or a written command. YouTube Music promises you’ll be able to ask its tool for anything. The result? The creation of a personalized radio station based on these prompts.
In a video presentation, YouTube shows that users can request the creation of a radio based on the prompt “Catchy pop choruses” or “Surprise me,” for example. The possibilities seem endless, and it’s not unlike Sounddiiz’s AI tool, which we introduce in the second section of this article.
Once the prompt has been entered, a radio whose name corresponds to the user’s request is created. A descriptive tagline accompanies the radio. This radio will then be updated regularly based on the same criteria. This creates a continuous stream of musical discoveries! We’ll have to wait a little longer to assess the relevance of the recommended songs: the tool is still in the testing phase at YouTube Music. But the promises are exciting!
YouTube Music is trying to revolutionize song discovery: the consequences.
With its new tool, YouTube hopes to generate discoveries and fuel a virtuous circle for emerging artists. Today, the nerve of war for streaming platforms lies in the efficiency of their algorithms. Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, and others have invested millions of dollars in their algorithms and artificial intelligence to gain the upper hand over their competitors. Consumption patterns have changed. Listeners consume fewer albums but more playlists. And in a context of increasing music offerings, where thousands of new songs and albums are unveiled every Friday, it’s becoming difficult to know what to listen to.
Many of us, therefore, rely on our streaming platforms to find new nuggets that match our tastes. So, we’re passive, waiting for information to come to us. That’s why the playlists recommended by Spotify, TIDAL, Amazon Music, and others are so popular based on our tastes and consumption. But for this to be truly effective, the algorithms must also be.
Business is business
With its new tool, YouTube Music aims to make a name for itself. In the long term, this could lead to several things. Firstly, and this is, of course, the main objective, YouTube Music will become even more attractive. The streaming platform is gaining more and more listeners and is establishing itself in the American market, but it is still lagging behind Spotify.
It, therefore, needs to find ways of distinguishing itself by offering something that no one else does. In this way, it can keep users on its service, who will no longer have any interest in taking advantage of the other algorithms, which, for the moment, are more advanced than YouTube Music. The aim is also to compete with Shazam in its own field. Shazam can detect a song “only” when it is played, whereas YouTube intends to put the power back in the hands of each and every one of us. This could change how we discover and consume music and even influence the strategies of other streaming platforms and music discovery services.
At the artists’ level, the new AI tool could enable many of them to see their songs enter playlists and thus create a kind of word-of-mouth. To enable unnoticed albums and songs to enter playlists and the ears of listeners they would otherwise not have reached.
This may also pave the way for other AI programs, with platforms attempting to duplicate YouTube’s model. And it’s safe to say that at Soundiiz, we’re way ahead of the game!
What about Soundiiz’s own AI tool?
We understand that Artificial Intelligence is increasingly shaping our daily lives. However, at Soundiiz, our users are passionate about music and always eager for new discoveries. That’s why we’ve developed a tool that puts you in the driver’s seat of your musical journey. Our aim is not to replace the existing algorithms of Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and others but to offer a complementary tool that gives you the control you’ve been craving.
Most of the time, we wait for streaming services to push us new artists and albums. But we wanted you to take control of what you could discover. With Soundiiz’s AI tool, you can take control of your music discovery process, specifying your preferences and receiving personalized recommendations. This tool enhances your music discovery experience, helping you find new artists and albums that match your unique tastes and preferences.
How does it work?
By combining several existing AIs and adding our personal touch, we’ve created our own Artificial Intelligence tool. And we’ve designed it to be as easy to use as possible. You can enter tags, such as the mood you want to listen to and the decade of music you want to listen to – yes, that’s precise! -or, more classically, the musical genre of your choice. You can combine them or choose just one, and based on that, our AI will suggest a list of songs, artists, or albums matching your criteria.
The same thing applies to the other search mode. You can write whatever you want; our tool will find it for you. The possibilities are endless. You can ask our tool to “create a relaxing playlist for when I get home from work,” “create a playlist that motivates me to go out and play sport,” or “create a playlist of seventeenth-century Scandinavian music composed entirely of wind instruments.”
But that’s not all. We didn’t just want to create a beautiful AI tool allowing you to discover many songs and albums. We also wanted this tool to complement all the other features of Soundiiz and allow you to use it to your heart’s content. We’re offering you a complete experience!
What to do with your IA content?
Once you’ve used our AI to create a playlist of songs or albums, you have three options:
- You can import your AI playlist to Spotify, Apple Music, and more, or add these songs to your favorites with Soundiiz. Everything you’ve generated will then be automatically added to your library.
- You can export the list of songs or playlists in CSV format, store them wherever you like, and share them quickly.
- Using the “Sync” function, you can generate a new playlist daily for your “commute to work.” Every day, an updated list of songs will be integrated into your existing “commute” playlist, created according to your criteria. And you won’t have to do a thing.
To make things as clear as possible, we’ve dedicated an entire page to our tool, which you can consult here.
And to test our tool, go here!
