After a three-year development process by Music Health in partnership with Universal Music Group, people living with dementia will be able to access an app that uses music to help improve cognitive function and deal with dementia-related distress. The app, Vera, was developed from the understanding that music that holds meaning and memory associations for individuals suffering with dementia has better therapeutic power. “From rigorous workouts to peaceful meditation to restorative sleep cycles, music is deeply integrated into numerous innovations promoting health and wellbeing,” says Michael Nash, executive vice president of digital strategy at UMG. “Now, scientists are finding that music is also a powerful tool for helping those suffering from the effects of dementia and memory loss.”
The rise of the algorithm-curated music stations and personalised music discovery channels are a large part of the success of apps like Spotify and Apple music – with the former on track to hit a target of one billion users by 2030. People are now keen to see the relationship between music and mood become more reciprocal, with brands that can tap into personalisation, feedback devices, and self-curated experiences being a key component of this. Mood-reading tech is already in development by Spotify to sense people's mood based on cues like tone of voice, hinting at an upgrade to already popular mood-based playlists like 'Deep Focus' and 'Confidence Boost'. In the health and fitness sphere, music plays a critical role in motivation and drive – 65% of Americans say they have no motivation to exercise without music.
