Healthtech company MediMusic prescribing music as medicine and powered by Tuned Global's robust music backend, won the Start-Up of the Year award at the Wallifornia Music and Tech Accelerator and Summit 2024.  

UK-based MediMusic has developed AI technology to fingerprint music and prescribe it as medication to ease pain, anxiety, and stress for people living with dementia. This groundbreaking business, supported by Tuned Global’s industry-leading music platform, was recognized at Wallifornia, the European Music Tech Accelerator & Summit program for startups at the intersection of Music, Technology, Health, and AI.

The jury, composed of global music & tech professionals, innovators, and investors—such as Dirk Reyn (R&S Consulting), Andy Lürling (Lumo Labs), Scott Cohen (JKBX), Lorraine de Silva (Best Nights VC), Rishi Patel (Plus8Equity), Takayuki Suzuki (MusicTech Japan), Patrick Clifton (Clifton Consults), Bertrand Polou (Sacem), Rachel Young (TikTok), Gareth Deakin (Sonorous Global), and Virginie Chelles (Tuned Global)—selected MediMusic from among 140 firms worldwide to win the Wallifornia 2024 award following a 2-day mentoring program.

Andy Lürling, Founding Partner at LUMO labs commented, "I have been impressed by MediMusic’s pitch and their groundbreaking business. The fact that they have been trialed in NHS setups and shown effective results on heart rate is really promising. They come with a solution to one of society's most pressing issue; mental and cognitive health."

Initial clinical trials at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust found that the use of MediMusic resulted in up to a 25% reduction in heart rate in patients living with dementia. It is also being successfully trialed in UK care homes, including Orchard Court Care Home in Brigg, Lincolnshire. The goal is to expand these trials and deliver ‘music as medication’ into more hospitals and care homes in the UK and US, with support from strategic partners such as Warner Music Group, which also recently granted MediMusic access to its music catalogue. 

A crucial element of MediMusic’s success is its music backend powered by Tuned Global. MediMusic has also secured music licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, and to integrate all these music catalogues into its system, MediMusic needs Tuned Global’s Music-as-a-Service solution. Tuned Global’s B2B music streaming platform and APIs facilitate access to the catalogue (assets and metadata), playlisting tools, rights management, and reporting to the rights holders, allowing MediMusic to focus on patient outcomes while ensuring compliance with music industry requirements.

Con Raso, Managing Director of Tuned Global, said, "We are thrilled to support MediMusic on their journey to revolutionise healthcare with music. Our platform is designed to empower innovative startups by providing seamless access to extensive music catalogues and robust backend support. MediMusic’s achievement is a testament to the potential of combining cutting-edge technology with the healing power of music."

MediMusic’s pioneer algorithms extract relevant features from the digital DNA of a piece of music, resulting in a “fingerprint” for healthcare use. By considering the patient’s age, gender, nationality, and ethnicity, it compiles a 20-minute playlist of music in seconds, meant to influence multiple areas of the human brain to help reduce anxiety and pain. The playlists can be listened to on a streaming device called the MediBeat, using a pair of headphones, or on other devices such as smartphones. Music and tracks are then selected in real-time, depending on the patient's bio-response feedback.

MediMusic, which has already won several awards (Best AI-Based Music Neuroscience Solution at the 2022 GHP Private Healthcare Awards, Start-Up of the Year at the Hull Live Business Awards, and the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards), has received £1.2 million in funding so far from Finance Yorkshire, the University of Hull, and private investors. It is about to start another funding round with several VC and investment funds looking to contribute.

Gary Jones, CEO and co-founder of MediMusic and a former music industry executive, who developed the technology to help the mother of a family friend who was living with dementia, commented, “This win is fantastic news for our team and our global mission to use music as medication to ease pain, anxiety, and stress. The transformative power of music to make us feel more relaxed and healthier is truly extraordinary. Our initial clinical trials have yielded highly promising results, signalling a groundbreaking future in patient treatment. The potential to dispense music as a therapeutic intervention will revolutionise the care of people grappling with pain and anxiety, from those in care homes to patients in hospitals. We believe we will eventually see music prescribed by the NHS. Musical medicine would help the NHS save money on costly medications treating anxiety and stress.”

Co-founder of Wallifornia Gérôme Vanherf and Wallifornia’s Program and Partnership Manager Coralie Doyen added, “Congratulations to MediMusic on being the big winner of our Awards Ceremony. The judges were very impressed with this innovative UK start-up committed to using music to improve the health and well-being of patients. The potential impact of its technology around the world is huge, and that’s why they were worthy winners. At Wallifornia, we value startups that bridge different sectors, combining their strengths to create something remarkable. Bringing these diverse worlds together is at the heart of Wallifornia's mission.”

MediMusic: www.medimusic.co