Dan Cohen

Founder & Editor, Music I Want · Last updated April 24, 2026

I founded Music I Want in early 2026 because I couldn't find what I needed: a music catalog where every song came with the information a sensory-sensitive listener actually requires before pressing play. Streaming services rate music by popularity, genre, and vibe. None of those tell you whether a song is going to ambush you with a volume jump at the second chorus or whether a whispered intro resolves into a wall of sound. I built a different kind of catalog.

How I write and rate

Every song in the library passes through the same five-dimension framework documented on the methodology page: dynamic range, sudden changes, texture, predictability, and vocal style. Ratings combine acoustic analysis with listener-side review. I write editorial content — artist guides, framework essays, use-case deep dives — under my own byline, with my own voice, and I publish what I would personally use. When our autonomous systems generate supplementary content, every piece still goes through editorial review before it lands on a public URL.

I am not a music therapist, an audiologist, or a clinician. I am a person who builds careful internet tools. The sensory framework is informed by published research on sensory processing and audio engineering, but the ratings themselves are listener-side guidance, not medical advice. The disclaimer has the full disclosure on limits and affiliate disclosures.

How I got here

I run The Hive, a small studio shipping internet tools with long time horizons. Music I Want is one of those tools. I've spent years thinking about how to build useful things for people who don't fit the algorithmic middle — listeners whose nervous systems are wired differently, readers who want depth over takes, users who want to understand a system rather than have it optimized at them. This site is that work applied to music.

Why my byline matters here

On a music-analysis site, the question "who is this written by, and why should I trust their rating?" is real. I won't pretend a faceless brand has opinions. I have opinions, and I stand behind them. If I rate a song Intense and your experience is the opposite, that's valuable information — it means the framework is missing something or the rating needs revision. Email me.

Contact

What I'm working on next

The roadmap is public and shaped by listeners. See the roadmap for what's shipping next and the ideas queue. If something would make the site more useful to you, write and tell me.

Related: About the site · How we rate · Contact · Disclaimer