GroovSense is proprietary AI music curation software (US Patent pending) which understands the music preferences of users in the vicinity of the host using the app, which means that it will automatically improve their playlist to play music that users like, whatever the location or event, based on the crowd’s collective taste.
Moreover, the patent pending technology senses and understands how the audience is reacting – whether they enjoy the music selection – actively adjusting the track list in real-time to optimise the listening experience. These real time updates combine both users’ existing streaming platform playlists and live feedback to select crowd-favourite songs matching the desired ambience.
Using machine learning phone sensor technology, GroovSense also detects if the crowd is dancing to the music being played.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
The story started when I realised that the business of bringing enjoyment and pleasure to people is a multi-trillion-dollar global industry where we humans, who are emotional creatures, will follow our hearts and desires and are willing to pay for it. To that point, the field of Affective Computing marries the worlds of AI and human psychology to study how technology impacts our emotions and vice-versa.
I have been a researcher in this field for the past decade and has collaborated with world-class research groups at both University College London and Cornell in the US. I instinctively understood from my own love of music (and experience as a former breakdancer) that the right track – played at the right time – can provide instantaneous enjoyment, an effect magnified in the company of a like-minded crowd. It occurred to me that Affective Computing could be applied to music selection for communal spaces.
I then approached Mizan Rahman, my old university friend and moonlight DJ, along with some of their super brainy buddies, Chris, Tash and others (hailing from UCL, Cambridge, Harvard, Cornell, Goldman Sachs and HSBC) and GroovSense was formed!
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How has the company evolved during the pandemic?
During the COVID lockdown, the GroovSense team realised the trends and growth in online socialising and virtual parties. As a result we enhanced the platform to work in a remote party situation called ‘GroovSense Anywhere’.
This means that hosts can play group curated music via video conference calls or guests can just log into the session and listen to them anywhere (provided they have a streaming service).
What can we hope to see from GroovSense in the future?
GroovSense is developing commercial technology that can be integrated into businesses that play music on their premises, with interest in attracting and retaining more customers.
We are also planning to take GroovSense on a university milk-round tour to showcase the app and its capabilities.
Other things we are working on include, integration into Sonos, Amazon Alexa and Google Assist, as well as a number of secret AI developments that will give us an even better gauge of how the crowd is feeling at events.
