The company has made numerous efforts to reach out to new consumer groups by finding ways to broaden the applications of its music products. This year it collaborated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Tzu Chi University on a series of tests on how music affects mental and physical relaxation. It has also been seeking opportunities for interdisciplinary ventures with fortune tellers, counselors, and consumer electronics professionals.

Modern brain scanning instruments are able detect four distinct brain wave forms: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. These waves become apparent under different conditions. Alpha waves are prominent when people are relaxed; on the other end of the spectrum, beta waves emerge in states of concentration or deep thought. The remaining theta and delta waves are most conspicuous when people are in the initial stages of sleep and deep slumber respectively.

In order to ascertain whether certain types of music increase the brain's production of alpha waves, Wind Music collaborated with the ITRI on an experiment that was the first of its kind in Taiwan-"The Effects of Music on Relaxation and Brain Wave Activity."

In the experiment, 25 recruits culled from various professions listened to musical samples provided by Wind Music. Every 15 minutes the broadcast was interrupted by random, reconstituted musical fragments taken from the Wind Music samples. Researchers then studied the difference in brain wave activity while listening to different fragments.

Scientific vindication

The studies revealed that when test subjects listened to the music designed to induce relaxation, they in fact produced 21% more alpha waves and 13% fewer beta waves than when simply sitting quietly with their eyes closed. The difference in alpha wave production was more pronounced, climbing to 24%, when compared to listening to the chaotic fragments. The findings suggest that listening to music with smoother contours and tempos close to the human pulse may assist with stress reduction and promote relaxation.

Fresh off their encouraging experimental results, Wind Music released its Zen Relaxation series consisting of five CDs that tap into themes such as "stress release," "LOHAS," and "sweet dreams." The company is optimistic that, with people jittery about the slow economy, they will be able to sell more than 10,000 copies.

Aside from the experiments with brain waves, the company has collaborated with Tzu Chi University Nursing Department assistant professor Sung Huei-chuan on a study of the influence of music on the human heart rate. According to the results, listening to soothing music slows the pulse and breathing, and also lowers blood pressure by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for producing a reposeful state.

"Our experiments even showed that music can affect behavior. For instance, agitated elderly people with dementia become sedated by hearing familiar Taiwanese songs; it even makes them remember things from their past," says Sung Huei-chuan.

Wind Music plans to publish the results of the experiments in academic journals overseas later this year. R&D director Liang Hsiu-ting says, "Scientific data increases credibility. When music is recognized for its salubrious effects on body and mind, its market value will be driven upward."

Forging partnerships

Besides marshalling scientific data to bolster sales, Wind Music has other interdisciplinary collaborations in the offing, which they hope will unearth new market niches.

In April they plan to co-host a seminar on music therapy with United Counseling Center director Alan Chou which will teach those interested in becoming music therapists how to select the right music for patients with depression. In June, they will be releasing audio books teaching the art of fortune telling and featuring their original music, in a collaborative venture with a tarot card company.

"With online piracy so rampant, selling CDs the traditional way just doesn't bring enough revenue," says Wind Music general manager Yang Chin-tsung, explaining the need to diversify.

All of the company's products have been digitally stored, setting the stage for their plans to cross over into the consumer electronics and interior decorating industries, allowing their music to be heard in more places and thus expanding their profits.

Yang reveals that they have been approached by enterprises developing "smart" residences that have touch-controlled panels that can change the ambience in any room of a home. People will be able to adjust the lighting, music, and even fragrance to suit their mood.

"For instance," says Yang, "while relaxing in the bath, you might select the 'lavender' mood, which would give the room a purple tint accompanied by music from our Moonlight Lavender album. The music was put together by producer Cincin Lee, a Golden Melody Award recipient, in an attempt to capture the feeling of lavender buds opening in gardens in Provence-you can practically smell the calming fragrance of the flowers in the music. But if it's not what you fancy at the moment, with just the hit of a button you can access Wind Music's website and download one of our other many musical offerings instead."

With its colorfully diverse musical palette, a world of possibilities awaits Wind Music, which, undaunted by the recent economic turmoil, has its sights fixed on a bright future.