Humans and animals have many things in common, including their shared love of music. In fact, dogs, cats and other pets can enjoy listening to tunes as much as their owners do, and this is creating a promising new market in the pet business.
Create Music Group, a United States company specialising in music distribution, has taken its first steps in the pet music sector by acquiring the company Music for Pets for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2017 by Amman Ahmed and Ricardo Henriquez, the firm – as its name suggests – offers tracks and other entertainment content for pets.
It’s a surprising concept, but one that seems to have found its audience. Indeed, Music for Pet’s two brands – “Relax My Dog” and “Relax My Cat” – rack up more than 12 million listening hours per month, and reach over 20 million animals worldwide.
But what does music for our two- and four-legged friends sound like? Basically, like any kind of background music. The “Relax My Dog” YouTube channel offers a whole universe of live, radio-friendly sounds to relax your pooch.
Some of the soothing videos it hosts last 10, 15 or even 20 hours, but that doesn’t stop them from reaching a large number of internet users and their furkids. This channel has 1.47 million subscribers, compared with 818,000 for “Relax My Cat”.
Different pets, different tastes
Music For Pets is not the only player in the music industry to offer music for the world’s millions of pets. Streaming services are teeming with playlists aimed specifically at canines and felines.
On Spotify, Relaxmydog counts 59,556 monthly listeners, while Relaxmycat counts 102,823. The latter’s selection includes tracks with millions of listens, focusing on relaxation and rest, such as “Relax My Cat” and “Deep Sleep Tones”.
The tracks most popular with dogs whose owners use Spotify are more focused on escapism and tranquility, such as “Meditation Dog”, “Paz y Amor”, and “Mar de Tranquilidad”.
Is this a sign that dogs and cats have different tastes in music? This is what a number of scientific studies on the subject have found.
In 2015, US researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that cats seem to ignore “human” music. On the contrary, they are much more sensitive to “music” composed especially for them.
Dogs have more diverse musical tastes than their feline counterparts. They seem to appreciate classical music, as well as reggae and soft rock, as revealed by a 2017 study published in the journal “Physiology & Behavior”.
However, it’s probably best to avoid heavy metal, which irritates them more than anything else, according to 2012 research published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour.
Whatever the case, music for pets has the potential to become a thriving market in the pet sector. The global pet industry alone could be worth a staggering US$500 billion by 2030, according to estimates by Bloomberg Intelligence.
Indeed, the affection people feel for their pet is priceless, which is why pet owners are often prepared to spend so much to keep their little companion happy. Whether it’s on clothing and accessories, healthcare, insurance, smart devices or restaurant trips, nothing is too good for these adorable furry friends.