Want music in your afterlife? This $495 ‘Spotify Urn’ claims that reality is one click away
Spotify described it as 'the world's first wireless speaker designed to bring your music somewhere it's never been before.'
A new collaboration between Spotify and Liquid Death is asking a question many people have joked about for years: if music defines your life, why shouldn't it follow you into the afterlife? The two companies recently announced the release of the "Eternal Playlist Urn," a limited-edition urn with a built-in Bluetooth speaker, alongside a digital tool that generates a personalized "afterlife" playlist based on your listening history. The urn has been marketed both on Liquid Death's YouTube channel and Instagram account, and is leaving netizens baffled beyond measure.
According to USA Today, the urn stands about 11 inches tall and weighs 2.4lbs. Designed in a sleek, minimalist style, it features a discreet speaker built into the lid that connects to any compatible device. Spotify described it as "the world's first wireless speaker designed to bring your music somewhere it's never been before." Only 150 units are available in the U.S., each priced at $495 and sold through Liquid Death's website.
To accompany the launch, Spotify introduced the Eternal Playlist Generator for U.S. users. Newsroom Spotify states that the online tool asks a series of themed questions, including "What's your eternal vibe?" and "What's your go-to ghost noise?" Compiling those responses along with a user's listening history, Spotify generates a custom playlist "fit for a lifetime... and beyond." The playlist can then be synced directly to the urn's built-in speaker and shared with friends.
The idea plays into a long-running cultural habit: planning music for major life milestones, including funerals. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Death and Dying reports that approximately 90,000 people die in Sweden each year, and music is incorporated in some form in 99% of farewell ceremonies. Another study titled "The Musical Eulogy and Other Functions of Funeral Music" backed up the theory and found that music was present in nearly all observed services, whether religious or secular. In many cases, families selected recorded popular music instead of traditional hymns. The study described music as functioning both as a "participatory element" and a "memory trigger," reinforcing the identity of the deceased during the service.
That change toward personalization helps explain why a product like this might find an audience. Instead of leaving song choices to family members, the Eternal Playlist Generator allows users to shape their own soundtrack in advance. The concept builds on Spotify's previous ventures into hardware collaborations, including its partnership with IKEA on the Vappeby Bluetooth lamp and the now-discontinued in-car device, Car Thing, as per BGR.
Liquid Death, known for its dark humor branding and stunt marketing, has also leaned into headline-grabbing collaborations. In recent years, the canned water company partnered with Yeti to auction a life-sized casket cooler that sold for $68,200 and even sold limited "crushed" cans of iced tea once sipped by Ozzy Osbourne, marketed as containing trace DNA from the Prince of Darkness. The Eternal Playlist Urn is charged via USB-C and designed more for home display than for traditional cemetery placement, given the need for periodic charging. Buyers are advised to purchase in advance, as the limited run of 150 units is available only while supplies last.
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