Music streaming, playlist creation and streaming architecture

Abstract

A system and method for making categorized music tracks available to end user applications. The tracks may be categorized based on computer-derived rhythm, texture and pitch (RTP) scores for tracks derived from high-level acoustic attributes, which is based on low level data extracted from the tracks. RTP scores are stored in a universal database common to all of the music publishers so that the same track, once RTP scored, does not need to be re-RTP scored by other music publishers. End user applications access an API server to import collections of tracks published by publishers, to create playlists and initiate music streaming. Each end user application is sponsored by a single music publisher so that only tracks capable of being streamed by the music publisher are available to the sponsored end user application.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for making categorized music tracks available to an end user application, comprising:
 at one or more first applications, extracting low-level data from each track among a plurality of tracks to be RTP scored, wherein an RTP score includes a rhythm score (R), a texture score (T), and a pitch score (P) respectively from a R range, a T range, and a P range, each RTP score corresponding to a category among a plurality of categories;   at the one or more first applications, analyzing the low-level data to develop a plurality of high-level acoustic attributes for each track among the plurality of tracks;   at the one or more first applications, analyzing the high-level acoustic attributes to develop computer-derived RTP scores for each track among the plurality of tracks;   at the one or more first applications, utilizing the computer-derived RTP scores for each track to determine a corresponding category for each track among the plurality of categories;   at the one or more first applications, creating one or more collections of tracks from among the plurality of tracks based on tracks corresponding to one or more categories among the plurality of categories;   at the one or more first applications, publishing the one or more collections on a network accessible to an end user application configured to create one or more playlists based on the one or more collections; and   making one or more of the tracks in the one or more playlists available to the end user application.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at the one or more first applications, storing the computer-derived RTP score for each track in a universal database accessible to each of the one or more first applications; and   at the one or more first applications, prior to extracting the low-level data from a track among the plurality of tracks, checking the universal database to determine if the computer-derived RTP score for the track has already been stored in which case the extracting low-level data, the analyzing the low-level data, and the analyzing the high-level acoustic attributes for the track are bypassed.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more collections are published to the end user application through an intermediate API server in communication with the universal database. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at the one or more first applications, uploading one or more of the tracks among the plurality of tracks having computer-derived RTP scores to a streaming server; and   wherein the making one or more of the tracks in the one or more playlist available to the end user application includes streaming from the streaming server the one or more tracks in the one or more playlists to the end user application.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more collections are published to the end user application through an intermediate API server. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a training application provides one or more of low-level training data and high-level acoustic attributes training data to the one or more first applications. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the training application authorizes the one or more first applications to publish the one or more collections. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more first applications authorize the one or more end user applications to access the one or more published collections. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 at a first application among the one or more first applications, causing a sponsor code to be generated for the end user application and sent to a website affiliated with an operator of the first application;   at the website, sending the sponsor code to an end user; and   at the end user application, receiving the sponsor code to authorize the end user application's access to the one or more published collections.   
     
     
         10 . A system for making categorized music tracks available to an end user application, comprising:
 one or more first applications configured to:
 extract low-level data from each track among a plurality of tracks to be RTP scored, wherein an RTP score includes a rhythm score (R), a texture score (T), and a pitch score (P) respectively from a R range, a T range, and a P range, each RTP score corresponding to a category among a plurality of categories; 
 analyze the low-level data to develop a plurality of high-level acoustic attributes for each track among the plurality of tracks; 
 analyze the high-level acoustic attributes to develop computer-derived RTP scores for each track among the plurality of tracks; 
 utilize the computer-derived RTP scores for each track to determine a corresponding category for each track among the plurality of categories; 
 create one or more collections of tracks from among the plurality of tracks based on tracks corresponding to one or more categories among the plurality of categories; and 
 publish the one or more collections to a network; 
   one or more end user applications configured to create one or more playlists based on the published one or more collections; and   a streaming server configured to communicate with the one or more first applications, to communicate and the one or more end user applications, and to make one or more of the tracks in the one or more playlists available to the one or more end user applications.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising a universal database accessible to each of the one or more first applications, wherein the one or more first applications are further configured to:
 store the computer-derived RTP score for each track in the universal database; and   prior to extracting the low-level data from a track among the plurality of tracks, check the universal database to determine if the computer-derived RTP score for the track has already been stored in which case the one or more first applications bypass extracting low-level data, analyzing the low-level data, and analyzing the high-level acoustic attributes for the track.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising an intermediate API server and wherein the one or more collections are published to the end user application through the intermediate API server in communication with the universal database. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the one or more first applications are further configured to upload one or more of the tracks among the plurality of tracks having computer-derived RTP scores to the streaming server; and   wherein the streaming server makes one or more of the tracks in the one or more playlist available to the one or more end user applications by streaming from the streaming server the one or more tracks in the one or more playlists to the one or more end user applications.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising an intermedia API server and wherein the one or more collections are published to the end user application through the intermediate API server. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising a training application configured to provide one or more of low-level training data and high-level acoustic attributes training data to the one or more first applications. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the training application is configured to authorize the one or more first applications to publish the one or more collections. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more first applications is configured to authorize the one or more end user applications to access the one or more published collections. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein a first application among the one or more first applications is configured to cause a sponsor code to be generated for the end user application and to send the sponsor code to a website affiliated with an operator of the first application;   wherein the website is configured to send the sponsor code to an end user; and   wherein the end user application is configured to receive the sponsor code in order to authorize the end user application's access to the one or more published collections.