Thanks to the fine folks over at Evolver.fm we found this nifty new app that, as far as we know, is the first of its kind. The focus@will app is a music app exclusively devoted to streaming music that will boost your productivity, now in its beta testing phase in the US. The app is kind of like Pandora Radio, but limited to the following list of stations:
- Classical
- Focus Spa
- Up Tempo
- Alpha Chill
- Acoustical
- Jazz
- Cinematic
- Ambient
Here’s a more detailed description of what the app is claiming to do:
The system assists during a typical productivity cycle by gently getting you into the concentration flow and then keeping you there. It works in the background by subtly soothing the part of your brain, the limbic system, that is always on the look out for danger, food, sex or shiny things.
Each piece of music sequenced during the 5 phases shown below has a specific role in enhancing your focus and reading enjoyment. Characteristics such as musical key, intensity, arrangement, speed, emotional values, recording style and many more factors determine what is played where and when. [source – the official about page of focus@will]
Fantastic idea! While I haven’t extensively tested this, I do wish something like this was around a couple years ago when I was still in college! Given the nature of the music and the demand for “listen while you work” tunes, there’s definitely a market to be capitalized upon. I have a couple questions, though.
Is there a market study conducted to back up their hypothesis?
The FAQ mentions two years of research with 72,000 respondents and 200 alpha participants. A link might be helpful to define these. What is there to stop cynical music critics and industry analysts like me from scoffing at a couple sentences that could sound official but not mean as much as we are led to believe?*
*Not accusing focus@will of lying. Sometimes fancy terms just need clarification to the laypeople, is all!
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