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Silver Award
Break the Sound Barrier
Spotify
United States
2026
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Entrant Company
Syracuse University, The Newhouse School
Launch Country
United States
Program
Clio Music 2026
Medium Type
Student
Medium
Student Digital/Mobile & Emerging Technologies
We were asked how Spotify could use technology to spread positivity and connect listeners with creators and communities, encouraging the use of new tech to uplift underrepresented groups. We identified a gap in music streaming accessibility for the deaf community, as music streaming is not fully inclusive to the deaf community, which led us to create our digital AI idea for Spotify titled “Break the Sound Barrier.” The idea takes deaf sign language performers, who are part of the deaf community themselves who perform the music using sign language and dance, and integrate this into every song on Spotify. With electrifying energy, Justina Miles from the Super Bowl halftime show, created a whole new dimension to the performance. She memorized every lyric, note, and beat. She performed each word while dancing to Rihanna’s beats. Her hands told the story, and her body caught the rhythm so precisely that it felt like she was channeling the core of Rihanna’s music. Using deepfake technology, it translates deaf sign language performances into over 300 sign languages, making music accessible to the deaf community exclusively on Spotify. Musicians can also opt-in, allowing Spotify to generate videos of them signing in all languages, bringing deaf fans closer to their favorite artists than ever before.
Credits
School
Syracuse University, The Newhouse School
Syracuse, NY
Art Director
Marlana Bianchi
Syracuse University, The Newhouse School
Copywriter
Molly Egan
Syracuse University, The Newhouse School
Professor
Mel White
Syracuse University, The Newhouse School
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