Vocana, a streaming service that hosts only independent music, has launched Sonic Profiler, a recommendation feature that asks new users to name three artists they already enjoy.
During signup, users select three artists from any genre or era, even if those artists are not available on Vocana. Sonic Profiler then recommends independent musicians on the platform with similar sound profiles. Users can return to the Profiler at any time and change their selected artists to receive a new set of recommendations.
The company states that mainstream streaming algorithms often “serve already-popular music from huge catalogs for mysterious reasons.” Sonic Profiler is designed to surface “underexplored gems and unexpected acts” matched to each fan’s taste.
Heather Mundinger, Vocana’s Head of Marketing, said:
“We recently brought this feature to an in-person activation, and we heard over and over, ‘Wow, this sounds just like me.’ Fans accepted the challenge of narrowing down their top three artists and were surprised by how accurate the recommendations felt. That’s exactly what we want Sonic Profiler to do: make discovering independent music easy and personal, whether you’re an indie expert or just curious.”
