Plexamp, the music player originally incubated by the Labs division of media company Plex, is taking advantage of ChatGPT with its latest update. Today the company announced a new feature called “Sonic Sage,” powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, that will create unique music playlists by scanning users’ libraries and leveraging their TIDAL subscription.
The update follows other efforts around using AI interfaces to program users’ music choices. Spotify, in particular, launched an AI DJ player to present and select music for streaming app users, while other third-party apps like Petey are now using ChatGPT to create Apple Music playlists.
In Plex’s case, it’s using the feature on its music player side project at the moment, not its main media player app.
First launched in 2017 as the first project from Plex Labs, Plexamp is presented as Plex’s spin on the classic media player app Winamp, even offering visualizations to accompany your tunes. It later expanded from desktop to iOS and Android, and got an overhaul, becoming a subscriber-only service.
Image credits: Plex
In addition to being a way to enjoy music in a classic interface aimed at audiophiles, the app has also served as a way for Plex to experiment with different technologies. For example, in 2021, it was updated with a “Super Sonic” feature that would match songs that are “sonically similar” to each other, rather than using metadata alone for programming mixes.
Now, Plexamp will add support for ChatGPT, the company says.
Image credits: Plex
Dubbed Sonic Sage, the new feature allows users to create their own playlists using natural language to describe what they want to hear. For example, the company suggests that users can request things like “buzzy songs from heavy metal bands,” “upbeat electronic tracks from The Chainsmokers and other DJs,” “psychedelic indie rock like Pink Floyd,” and “ ’70s Grooves for Strong Women,” and more.
To use this option, users must be a Plex Pass subscriber and must also subscribe to the music streaming service of TIDAL, a Plex music partner. They will then need to create an OpenAI account in which to enter the OpenAI API key Plexam Settings to enable Sonic Sage. The company notes that you can limit its results to only the music in your own library via a setting next to the API key.
In addition to featuring new AI, the app has several other music discovery options, including the ability to use a variety of DJ modes, go into machine learning “sonic adventures,” use “mood radios,” and travel back in time to recreate Discover the oldest and most.
The company notes that Plexamp now works across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, and Headless.