“Voice Activation is the Future of Music”
I finally have my wife speaking to the Google Home on the kitchen counter. Sort of. This is transcript of an actual conversation in my house this week.
“Hey, Google,” she says, “Play me some music while I’m putting together this cassoulet.”
“I’m sorry,” Google Assistant, “I looked for ‘I’m Putting Together This Cassoulet’ and I couldn’t find anything.”
“Hey, Google,” says The Wife, “F**k you.”
“I’m sorry if I upset you,” comes the reply. “Please offer some feedback.”
Okay, so maybe we’ve got a ways to go yet, but voice activation and commands are the future of music. This is from Music Week.
Voice control and interactive AI has been coming for a while but 2018 could be the tipping point for the music business, according to leading digital execs.
With potentially millions of music fans unwrapping smart speakers over Christmas, the industry could be about to benefit from a further revenue boost as premium streaming subscriptions reach new demographics.
“Voice activation will be huge” in 2018, according to Alexander Holland, chief content and product officer at Deezer.
One recent report suggested that 24 million smart speakers would be shipped globally in 2017, with Amazon taking a 65% market share on new sales.
“Amazon are very bullish about the amount of streaming that they have coming from their service, and that is obviously being driven by interaction with the devices,” Adrian Pope, PIAS chief digital officer, told Music Week.
I don’t have any use for any of these devices, and I think they are kind of dumb, but what your wife did was funny! And WTF is a “cassoulet” anyway????
Okay, I found out what a cassoulet is. I had to look it up, but I still don’t have any use in my own personal life for a smart speaker. This is the year I will finally cave and get a smart phone, not because I really want to, but because I have to. We have been forced to buy these things. If my car breaks down, let’s say, how can I call for help? My girlfriend has had one for several years now, and it will let me stay in touch with her better also, so there are practical reasons for me to get one. They are having to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century!