Apple Music partners with UMG for new lo-fi beats playlists

Apple Music and Universal Music Group (UMG) have teamed up for a new Sound Therapy initiative, an audio collection designed to help listeners relax, focus, or sleep better. 

It takes popular songs from the vast UMG library and embeds "special sound waves" that the companies claim will help "enhance users' daily routines." For example, adding delta waves and pink noise (similar to rain or wind) may help promote better sleep, or using gamma waves and white noise helps with focus. 

The new collection has curated playlists for each category - Focus, Relax, and Sleep. Focus will help increase concentration and performance, Relax helps users unwind and de-stress, while Sleep helps promote deep sleep, a state of deep relaxation and rejuvenation. 

These playlists take existing songs from UMG's library and remix them with added sound waves. For example, A dreamy chill version of Katy Perry's "Double Rainbow" or a Relax mix of Chelsea Cutler's "The Stars". 

The entire collection was curated and remixed by a team at Sollos, a music wellness venture within UMG's London offices. The collection features "extended, instrumental, and reimagined versions of popular tracks from acclaimed artists such as Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, Ludovico Einaudi, AURORA, Jhené Aiko, Chelsea Cutler, and Jeremy Zucker." 

"Sound Therapy represents an important validation of our innovative, science-led Sollos initiative," said Michael Nash, UMG's executive vice president and chief digital officer. "We look forward to working closely with the team at Apple to expand the ways that music can be harnessed to improve the wellness benefits for its users."

The new collection will be part of Apple's recently launched Apple Music Chill radio station.