Spotify is making customized playlists for your pet, and my demon cat could not care less.
The streaming platform released a playlist generator specifically made for pets earlier this month, curating music for both animals and their humans to listen to together. According to a survey conducted by Spotify, 70 percent of "animal parents" consider the emotional wellness of their pets daily. The music included on the "Pet Playists" can relieve stress, boost happiness, and keep pets company, Spotify says.
"8 in 10 people believe their pets like music, and around 46 percent of people feel that music is a stress reliever for their furry friends," Spotify wrote in a press release.
Like many cat owners, I'm unsure if my cat Lunar enjoys anything, let alone music. His interests include begging for human food, pointedly looking away when I try to take nice pictures of him, and screaming at birds that fly by my living room window. At nearly 13 years old, Lunar is basically an ancient child, so any amount of relaxation is probably good for him.
The playlist generator starts off by prompting the user to choose the kind of pet they have, a range that includes iguanas, hamsters, and birds.
Then, it prompts the user to describe their pet's demeanor on a sliding scale, ranging from shy to friendly, relaxed to energetic, and apathetic to curious.
After personalizing the playlist with a photo of Lunar in Peak Demon mode (mid-scream) Spotify's algorithm pulled together a blend of human music that I've listened to before and dreamy, synth-heavy music that's supposed to soothe his old bones. The Pet Playlists draw from the user's personal taste in music and throws songs in based on the selected personality traits. The list generated for me included artists I typically listen to, like The 1975, CLARA, and Toro y Moi. It also included more vibey ones like vaporwave artist Joseph Beg's "Only For Headphones" album.
The Pet Playlist also sprinkled in a handful of cat-themed music, like Prince's "Velvet Kitty Cat," the song "Space Oddity" by Alba & the Mighty Lions, and Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's number from Cats.
Lunar, however, seemed unimpressed and mostly offended when the playlist woke him up mid-nap. He left the couch and resumed sleeping on the other side of the room the opening bars of Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" started.
He was pretty indifferent throughout the hour and 45 minute playlist, but seemed to really vibe with "Low Theta Low Alpha" by Joseph Beg. The artist's "modern ambient sound" uses "traditional meditative tunes with modern vaporwave aesthetics" to achieve "deeper mental states," his Spotify description reads.
i tried spotify’s pet playlists and i can’t tell if my cat likes it or if he’s annoyed i’m interrupting his daily screaming at the birds pic.twitter.com/1cy8VP1K9U
— morgan sung (@morgan_sung) January 29, 2020
All in all, I'm not sure if I'll leave the playlist on when I leave the house, but it did suggest some music that he seemed to actually enjoy — he fell asleep as soon as I played some other artists similar to Joseph Beg. Now I just have to come to terms with the fact that my cat likes vaporwave.
You can make your own Pet Playlist here.