Gadgets

Muru: The AI DJ – The Robots are Coming for the DJ

AI–artificial intelligence–is grabbing a lot of headlines these days. Automated newsrooms with robots writing stories. Smart speakers like Google Home (I have one and I really like it). Medical applications. Not everyone is a fan–ask Elon Musk–but AI is going to be a big deal for us going forward. The machines are coming for us.

The latest field to come under threat is DJing. A company called Muru Music is working on an AI application that trains machines to generation “fluid, listenable” playlists.

Muru’s technology has translated a seasoned DJ’s brain into algorithms and rule sets. It digs deep into the planet’s millions of tracks to find new, cool, sonically appropriate music.

[…]

“A DJ specializes in two things: song selection and timing. Muru has music algorithms that think like a DJ and that let you create a playlist in seconds,” [founder and CEO Nicc] Johnson notes. “The combination of our classification and music algorithms means we can find contextual relationships between songs across all genres, allowing for a much better discovery experience.”

The more these algorithms work, the better they get at contextualizing things. And because a machine can handle the firehose of new songs that come out every day, there’s the potential for some interesting new finds. Then there’s this quote from the email Muru sent me:

Whats really cool about Muru’s  A.I. is that they have factored in human randomness. Often you can tell when something has been done by a machine – yet Muru has run tests between DJ’s and their algorithms. The way they classify and compile music playlists is indistinguishable. Allowing for random discovery in a controlled environment – which allows for the most advanced music experience.

Uh-oh. Read more here.

 

 

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38011 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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