Audio wellness is a popular technique to promote relaxation and better sleep health. Apple Music is introducing a new “audio wellness” collection of tracks called Sound Therapy, designed in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG). The feature will help combine sounds that users already know with sound waves that promote better health.

The South Therapy experience comprises three playlists — Focus, Relax and Sleep. It plays music from UMG artistes including Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves. These are not the usual versions; these are special, often extended, instrumental, or rearranged offerings with a soothing vibe.

“For years, elevating music’s role in health and wellbeing has been a strategic priority for UMG, linked to a potentially significant commercial opportunity, as well as something that our chairman and CEO, Sir Lucian, and the entire management team are passionate about,” said Michael Nash, UMG’s executive vice-president and chief digital officer.

Nash says the launch of Sound Therapy represents “an important validation of our innovative, science-led Sollos initiative”.

Available only to Apple Music subscribers, Sound Therapy is backed by scientific research and powered by UMG’s proprietary audio technologies. It uses the power of “sound waves, psychoacoustics, and cognitive science to help listeners relax or focus the mind”.

The collection has been designed by a team of producers, scientists, and audio engineers at Sollos, a music-wellness venture incubated within UMG’s London offices.

“Every day, people around the world make Apple Music part of their daily routine, and we’ve seen incredible engagement around our personalised mood playlists and the new Apple Music Chill radio station,” said Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s co-head.

A dreamy version of Katy Perry’s Double Rainbow, for example, may help listeners hit sleep mode easily, while an Imagine Dragons track might help them tackle a to-do list.

The Focus category is designed to support improved cognitive performance and concentration, tapping into the power of gamma auditory beats to help listeners get in the mindset to achieve optimum focus. Songs in the Relax category are made for letting go, blending and infusing in theta auditory beats to help achieve ultimate relaxation. The Sleep category is designed to encourage deeper sleep through an infusion of delta auditory beats or pink noise, which works similarly to white noise but uses natural sounds like rainfall and ocean waves.

The new feature comes close on the heels of Apple Music Chill radio station. Enjoy the velvety tones of discerning tastemakers like Brian Eno, Stephan Moccio and Zane Lowe, who expertly take listeners through stories of calm and wellbeing in their own hosted shows.