Choosing the perfect song for any given occasion can be tough. Particularly when you’ve a library of several thousand pieces (or you’re logged in to a streaming service), finding something that suits both mood and the environment can be downright impossible. In the end, you might end up wasting more time than it’s even worth. What’s a person to do, then? Sacrifice their music?
An absurd idea, isn’t it?
That’s where Songza comes in. It’s a music streaming service. Though that’s hardly new or unique, it’s got a handy little feature which distinguishes it from pretty much every other streaming service out there: it lets you change what music you hear based on how you’re feeling at the time.
It’s not just about the music you’ll enjoy (which is what most other services seem to focus on). It’s about the music that you need.
When you access the site (and once you’ve signed up), it’ll automatically detect the date and time of wherever you’re signed in. At that point, it’ll suggest a list of five or so probable activities you might be engaged in. These activities change according to day, week, and time. Chances are pretty good that unless you’re a positively bizarre individual whose eccentricities cross into the extreme(or you don’t have a remotely normal sleep schedule), you’ll be able to find something that describes whatever you happen to be doing at the time.
Once you’ve selected an activity, it’ll move you along into the next stage of what the site refers to as its “Concierge” process. It’ll suggest a list of possible genres for you, and you’ll be instructed to select whichever one you enjoy the most. For those of you who aren’t particularly musically inclined, genre includes a small description under the heading. Once you’ve selected a genre, just click on a thumbnail and you’ll be taken to a station. The music will start playing, and you can get on with your day.
You can also look through playlists belonging to similar artists, and access one of those, if you see something that catches your fancy. Again, pretty standard for a streaming service. Concierge is honestly where Songza really shines, it’s what makes the site stand out from the crowd. That and the fact that you won’t have to put up with any audio ads. That’s pretty awesome too.
Granted, it’s not a perfect service. It’d be nice if you were able to customize things a bit more, but it’s a small quibble with an otherwise excellent app.
You can access Songza here.
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