LONDON, July 4 — 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, an American company specialising in music distribution, has taken its first steps in the pet music sector by acquiring Music for Pets, for an undisclosed sum. The company, founded in 2017 by Amman Ahmed and Ricardo Henriquez, offers tracks and other entertainment content for pets.
It’s a surprising concept, but it’s 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, according to the specialist website Music Ally. They also 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 dogs. This YouTube channel has 1.47 million subscribers, compared with 818,000 for Relax My Cat.
Different animals have different musical 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? That’s what a number of scientific studies on the subject have found, at least. In 2015, researchers at the US 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. Surprisingly, dogs have a much more diverse musical taste than their historical enemies. They seem to appreciate classical music, but also reggae and soft rock, as revealed by a study published in 2017 in the journal, Physiology & Behavior. However, it’s probably best to avoid heavy metal, which irritates them more than anything else, according to research published in 2012 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 (RM2.3 trillion) 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. Music for pets is part of the same package, and could become a profitable business in the years to come. — ETX Studio
