MXP4 - Music for your mood

In 1887 Edison invented the phonograph, and for the first time ever, music could be recorded and saved on a physical medium. By the 1980’s the production and massive distribution of vinyl records, cassettes and CDs, made it a period where music was offered on multiple media.

The invention of the mp3 format in the 90’s threw the recording industry into turmoil, as with this new creation, all audio sources could be digitized, transferred and copied. Today a new audio format has emerged which adds an interactive, vibrant and unpredictable dimension to music. Its name: MXP4.

MXP4 is an interactive format - a technology that is now able to offer music that, despite being recorded, remains unpredictable! MXP4 relies on interactivity and the unexpected to imbue musical recordings with ‘life’.

The technology makes it possible to create unique content from an original song by integrating what are known as "skins", interpretations performed by the artist that comprise multiple variations and offer listeners combinations that ensure that the music they listen to is always new, unlimited and surprising.

Music has never been interactive, but this could all change thanks this new and innovative technology that literally ‘reads your mind’ and mixes the songs regarding your mood and the settings you have chosen for your state of mind.

Have you ever listened to music to calm yourself down after a bad day at the office? Who hasn’t? Well according to Musinaut’s new science fiction headwear, it can read your brainwaves to understand your emotional state of mind, and control the music you listen to.

The brainwaves headgear, a device developed using a highly simple and ergonomic technology, includes three sensors for determining a subject's state of mind. The technology analyzes brainwaves, converting them to ‘understandable’ values such as; attention, meditation, drowsiness, etc., enabling tailored and interactive listening.

By connecting the brainwaves headgear to an MXP4 player, Musinaut allows users to control their musical selections on the basis of their thoughts and frame of mind, and makes listening to music very interesting as it becomes something very organic.

During different emotional states your brain sends different signals, and thanks to the headset and MXP4 technology it can now adapt the music and screen display to your mood, meaning that when you are relaxed you can have chill out music, and when you want to do something more dynamic, you’ll get more upbeat music.

It is also an interesting technology as it covers a lot of the current demands asked for by artists, the industry, and today’s consumers, as it will enable artists to express themselves more than in just a musical format, but with the text and the images, and communicate more to the listener about how the music came about.

So just as your mood can change your day, now it can also change the music you want to listen to. But just as the music industry is trying to change and adapt to new consumer needs, when it comes to new applications like Musinaut, the questions will remain: what comes first; the listener’s emotional choice, or what the music industry, and their technology, wants you to listen to?