Prizm Learning Music Player Streams Music for All Listening

Even if your music tastes differs from your family and friends, Prizm will stream music that will satisfy everyone listening. A french start-up has won an innovation reward for Prizm, a music streaming device that plays music customized for everyone in the room. The device connects to your speakers, learns each of the listeners likes and dislikes, takes into account the time of day, day of the week, and plays music that will make everyone happy.

The streamed music is chosen from services like Spotify and Deezer and played through speakers or a sound system connected to the Prizm via 3.5mm line out or optical audio connection.

Each user sets up a Prizm account where they can specify their preferences for artists, songs, and music genres. In a Pandora-like thumbs up/thumbs down process, individuals can press a heart on one side of the triangular device when they like the music, or press the cross on the other side if they don’t. The Prizm is wirelessly connected to the home network and detects when one of the users is in the room through the person’s smartphone or wearable —Fitbit or other activity tracker, or connected watch.

What won the 2016 innovation award for Prizm was that it doesn’t just customize the music for a single individual. It learns the music tastes of everyone in the room then uses an algorithm to determine music that will be pleasing to all current listeners. The Prizm will choose music that you like to listen to when you are alone. Then when another Prizm user enters the room, it will recognize them and choose music that should make both you and the other person happy. When you or the other person leaves the room, it will change the music choices to the solo listening habits of the person who has stayed.

Prizm was part of a Kickstarter campaign and will ship to backers this month. The public release will follow in February. Prizm’s are priced at $150.

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