Lyric Speaker is a next-generation Wi-Fi connected speaker that displays song lyrics in time with the tune. Its worldwide launch took place at The Big Parade, a music festival for the digital generation held in Japan in September 2014. The concept allows users to select and play their favorite music from a mobile phone or device and the lyrics will display automatically with beautiful motion graphics on the translucent screen built into the speaker. As Cotodama explains, the spread of digital downloads and streaming of music has made it easy to enjoy music anytime, anyplace. But those experiences can also be complemented with opportunities to really read and enjoy song lyrics like those found in records and CDs. Lyric Speaker is a platform designed for just such enjoyment.
Cotodama's Lyric Speaker is on sale now in the US and UK, with a limited handmade production in Japan of only 15 units per month. Pre-orders can be placed now on the company's website. To promote the idea, Cotodama produced a concept video featuring the song "Flying Lotus - Never Catch Me" featuring Kendrick Lamar. This clip shows how the speaker analyzes song structure, searches for lyrics online and how it visualizes the motion graphics to maximize the joy of listening. Click here.
According to the company, lyrics are "concentrated words", a direct message from the artist. "Artists from all different genres deliver their life experiences through lyrics. Cotodama created this speaker to let the listener feel and see the true power of the songs. With this speaker, the listeners will experience the essence of the full message of the artist and be further inspired by the lyrics. Lyrics always influence the heart of the listeners and the generation they are in. Now, it's your turn to be inspired."
After watching the video, we certainly agree that the concept has merit. Cotodama has partnered with SyncPower Corporation (PetitLyrics), Japan's largest database for music lyrics, and is now able to visualize more than 2.4 million songs in multiple languages. That collection of songs will continue to expand. Current streaming music services, like Spotify and Apple Music are already providing lyrics with many of the tracks available but those are shown almost as subtitles. Integration with those services with be a nice way to expand the concept. The way the Cotodama analyzes music content and renders text in a dynamic way is very interesting. Providing translations would also be another service that users could potentially enjoy.
The Japanese company, founded by Jin Saito, is now looking for distributors and retailers all over the world and taking pre-orders online.
lyric-speaker.com
