SIX to Launch Lyric Speaker, an IoT Speaker That Automatically Displays Lyrics for Songs
Lyric Speaker is the winner of the 2015 SXSW Best Bootstrap Company award, with pre-orders starting in June. They are looking for distribution partners in the U.S.
TOKYO, March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SIX INC. today announced the commercial launch of Lyric Speaker, a speaker that automatically displays lyrics of the song playing as beautiful motion graphics, enabling listeners to fully enjoy lyrics along with music.
Lyric Speaker won the Best Bootstrap Company award for SIX INC. in the 2015 SXSW (South by Southwest) Accelerator competition, a first for a Japanese company. For the first round of product sales, the company has signed an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan with Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd., with pre-orders starting in June.
Worldwide sales are expected to begin in the second half of 2016, and SIX INC. is looking to find distribution partners in the U.S. similar to Isetan Mitsukoshi group's department stores.
Lyric Speaker is a next-generation speaker developed by creative agency SIX. When a song is played from a mobile device, Lyric Speaker will connect to a database and display the lyrics in sync with the song. The speaker analyzes the mood and structure of the song to automatically generate motion graphics for display on the translucent LCD screen. It generates soft graphics for mellow songs and powerful graphics for energetic songs. SIX calls this "Lyric Sync Technology," and Lyric Speaker is the world's first speaker to have these functions. Lyric Speaker is also capable of producing high-resolution audio.
"Amid the rapid digitization of the music industry, not many people will think much about the lyrics booklet that came with the cover sleeve of a physical CD or the purpose it served," says Jin Saito, Creative Director of SIX. "The Lyric Speaker is an Internet of Things speaker that brings back the utility of a lyrics booklet but takes it to the next level using technology and stunning visuals."
The speaker visualizes the lyrics of a song with beautiful motion graphics, allowing listeners to experience music with their eyes as well as ears, which enables them to feel the message of the music on a deeper level.
"The Lyric Speaker draws out music's fundamental beauty by enhancing the power of individual songs through technology to present stunning visual displays of song lyrics," added Saito.
About SIX INC.
SIX Inc. is a creative agency that, in the past three years, has won over 30 Cannes Lions and over 250 international advertising awards for a wide variety of creative work, including video, advertising, interactive experiences, commercials and branding. At last year's SXSW Accelerator competition, it was the first Asian finalist in Entertainment and Content Technologies and won the Best Bootstrap Company.
Main Awards:
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: Cyber / Gold
ONE SHOW: Interactive / Gold
ADFEST: Inova / Grand Prix
Media Contact:
Yuko Ikagawa
Email
Phone: 415-344-0907