Canon releases its first ever music album –designed to support the perfect atmosphere for creativity to thrive

London, UK, 15 January 2024 – Canon unveils its first ever album, AutoFocus, crafted in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy and available on Spotify from today.

AutoFocus has been specifically designed for playing on the latest innovation from Canon, the Light & Speaker ML-A – a Bluetooth¹-enabled speaker with lighting feature.

Canon knows that creatives can spend hours absorbed in editing just one image or piece of content. With a vast portfolio of cameras and lenses for documenting the world around us, the imaging manufacturer is now turning its attention to the hours spent turning content captured into creative output.

The seven-track compilation has been produced as a soundtrack for creativity and productivity, featuring 40 minutes of melodies to place listeners into a concentration trance.

The album was created for Canon by Lyz Cooper, psychoacoustic expert and founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, and Jimmy Day, of music production collective LOYAL. Together they have fused higher frequencies and warmer chord progressions within the songs to help with focus.

AutoFocus includes an eight minute-long ‘brain break’ track titled ‘Pause’, which has been composed to enable listeners to ‘switch off’ for optimum brain health.

Lyz Cooper said: “Our research at The British Academy of Sound Therapy has shown that when people enter a relaxed state, insights and inspirations may arise as well as a release of stress and tension mentally, physically and emotionally. This helps the creative process to flow more freely and prevents brain fatigue.

“Every 90 minutes or so it is recommended that the ‘pause’ track is used to guide people into a relaxed state. The piece begins in a more rhythmic way and then gives way to relaxing drone sounds with long, low tones and drifting soundscapes. After seven minutes or so, the music begins to become more rhythmic, which helps people to come back to a more awake state, ready to continue refreshed and relaxed.”

The creation of the album was inspired by research – commissioned by Canon Europe in line with the launch of the Light & Speaker ML-A – of 2,000 adults who work or study found six in 10 listen to music while doing their job or schoolwork at home.

47 per cent reported listening to select songs to help them concentrate, taking just six minutes of melodies to fall into a good focus ‘flow’.

The supporting research found 16 per cent would find it difficult if they were to work at home without any music playing in the background and four in 10 think they work harder and perform better when listening to songs.

As well as improving focus, 40 per cent of those who listen to music while they work or study said it helps pass the time, while 35 per cent report it makes things more fun. For 24 per cent, listening to music helps get them into ‘work mode’, and it boosts creativity for 17 per cent.

More than one in 10 (11 per cent) of those polled, via OnePoll², have even made specific playlists for the time they spend working or studying.

The Light & Speaker ML-A is a versatile piece, designed to transform your home environment. It serves two functions – both lamp and speaker – helping users to create the perfect atmosphere, whether they wish to set the mood for a special occasion dinner, focus while working from home or get their head down editing content. The product features a tilting, rotating arm to provide a spotlight for any working space, and the speaker has been designed specifically for background music – ideal for when you need to concentrate on the job in hand.

Listen to the album on Spotify here: https://lnk.to/AutoFocus

The Canon Light & Speaker is exclusively available from the Canon store.  To order, visit: https://store.canon-europe.com/5914C005/

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Key product specifications for the Canon Light & Speaker ML-A:

• Speaker: 50mm driver and passive radiator
• Amplifier: Class-D Digital Amplifier with 10W max output
• Connectivity: Bluetooth¹ 5.0 (A2DP)
• Light source: LED lamp with 30,000-hour lifespan
• Three brightness levels: 25 lumens, 200 lumens and 300 lumens
• Colour temperature: 3,450k (warm setting); 6,450K (white setting)
• Interface: USB Type-C (charging only)
• Battery capacity: 2,600mAh
• Battery charging time: 3 hours (approx.)
• Battery life: 8 hours lighting; 5 hours music playback; 3 hours lighting and music together (these values may vary depending on operating conditions)
• Dimensions: 122mm (diameter) x 310mm (height) (approx.)
• Weight: 1.6kg (approx.)