Apple Music launches 'saylists' to help with speech-sound disorders

Apple Music is introducing 'saylists' to help young people with speech-sound disorders. The Warner Music project uses algorithms to identify lyrics with repeated challenging sounds, which include "ch", "d", "g" and "f".

The feature has chosen 173 tracks thus far, including Lizzo hits 'Good As Hell' and 'Right Here', Fatboy Slim classic 'Right Now' and Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now'.

Speech and language therapist Anna Biavati-Smith - who worked with Warner Music and Rothco on the project - commented:

"Saylists provide a fun new way to practise the sounds I teach children, without feeling pressured or getting bored."

Warner Music chief executive Tony Harlow added:

"Helping people express themselves is at the heart of what we do - and we hope that by creating a therapeutic tool that's as engaging and accessible as saylists, we can help anyone whose struggling with their speech."

Using the algorithm, Apple Music analyzed lyrics for 70 million songs in its vast catalogue before choosing the ones that repeated the challenging sounds most often.

Speaking to BBC News, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists chief executive Kamini Gadhok said:

"We're always pleased to hear about innovative approaches that support speech-and-language therapists in their work.

As with all new techniques and tools, we recommend effective evaluation and monitoring of outcomes."