Music for a situation
Not a mood — a problem. A dog and a fireworks display. Forty minutes inside an MRI. A phone line on hold. Each page below is a measured filter over our whole catalog, and every song on it shows the numbers that got it through.
Pets
Music for dogs during fireworks
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for dogs scared of thunder
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music to leave on for a dog home alone
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Music for cats
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for a puppy's first night home
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for a dog who hates the car
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Babies & kids
Songs for a newborn to sleep to (that aren't lullabies)
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for a colicky baby
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Songs for a baby crying in the car seat
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for toddler nap time
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Bedtime songs that aren't lullabies
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for nursing at 3am
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for baby bath time
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Your body
Music to listen to during an MRI
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for the dentist's chair
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for a long tattoo session
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Music for a migraine
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music that doesn't aggravate tinnitus
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for a hospital stay
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for a chemo infusion
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for end-of-life care
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for when your heart is racing
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for early labor
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for the pushing stage
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range 5–8/10
Familiar, steady songs for someone living with memory loss
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Music for recovering after surgery
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for a nervous flyer
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music for motion sickness
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Work & business
Hold music that doesn't make people hang up
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Waiting room music
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Background music for a small shop
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range 3–6/10
Dinner-service music for a restaurant
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Music for a massage room
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music for a nail salon
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Headphone music for an open office
dynamic range ≤ 4/10 · 60–100 BPM
Music for coding
dynamic range ≤ 5/10 · 60–110 BPM
Elevator music, measured
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Exact tempo
Songs at CPR tempo (100–120 BPM, steady)
sudden changes: none / mild only · 100–120 BPM
Songs at 180 BPM for running cadence
176–184 BPM or 88–92 BPM · predictability: high / medium
Songs at exactly 120 BPM
118–122 BPM · predictability: high / medium
Songs at a walking pace (100 BPM)
96–104 BPM · predictability: high / medium
Songs for jump rope
sudden changes: none / mild only · 120–140 BPM
Songs at 60 BPM (one beat per second)
58–62 BPM · predictability: high / medium
The opposite extremes
Songs that will make you jump
sudden changes: frequent / extreme only · dynamic range ≥ 7/10
Music for a haunted house
sudden changes: frequent / extreme only · dynamic range ≥ 6/10
Songs with the biggest crescendo
dynamic range ≥ 9/10
The most unpredictable songs we've measured
sudden changes: frequent / extreme only · predictability: low
Loud songs that never let up
dynamic range ≤ 3/10 · intense intensity
Songs that are mostly spoken
spoken word only
Songs with screamed vocals
screaming only
Songs without…
Metal with clean vocals
no screaming · metal tradition
Electronic music with no drops
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Hip-hop that stays steady
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Sad songs that stay quiet
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Pop songs without a beat drop
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Classical pieces that never swell
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Instrumental rock
instrumental only · rock tradition
Sleep & night
Songs to fall asleep to with headphones in
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 2/10
Music for night driving (awake, but calm)
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range 4–6/10
Real songs that work like white noise
dynamic range ≤ 2/10 · highly predictable
Music for a 20-minute nap
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Music to sleep on a plane
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 2/10
School
Music for classroom transitions
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Music for silent reading time
dynamic range ≤ 3/10 · highly predictable
Background music during a test
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
Indoor recess dance songs
sudden changes: none / mild / moderate only · 118–135 BPM
Clean-up time songs
sudden changes: none / mild only · 110–130 BPM
Ceremonies
Music for a funeral entrance
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 5/10
Processional songs that build
sudden changes: none / mild only · dynamic range 6–8/10
First-dance songs that stay slow the whole way
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 4/10
Music to lead into a moment of silence
no sudden changes · dynamic range ≤ 3/10
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