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Spotify has been a prolific generator of patents lately, a few of which have been fairly formidable – reminiscent of, for instance, an automated A&R system for locating new artists – and a few of which have at instances been pretty creepy – reminiscent of its plans to establish music tastes by creating personality profiles of customers.
Now we are able to add one other to Spotify’s rising roster of patents: A system to create digital mixtapes that allows customers to combine their personal audio with a particular listing of songs.
A patent issued to Spotify on Tuesday (September 26) by the US Patent Workplace describes “a system for producing and distributing a digital mixtape.”
The patent utility’s summary states: “The system can obtain a person command to generate a digital mixtape together with a user-defined compilation of music. The person command identifies a recipient of the digital mixtape and identifies a number of media content material gadgets to be included within the music compilation for the recipient. The digital mixtape may also embrace audio recordings from the person to be added to the digital mixtape.”
This digital mixtape system will create “a user-defined compilation of media content material, a minimum of partially from a catalog of media content material, and share it with associates over an information communication community. Voice messages or different audio may be added to the compilation to additional customise the compilation for the recipient.”
One variation of this know-how includes a “mixtape utility” that’s put in on the mixtape creator’s gadget, and doubtlessly additionally on the gadget of the one who the mixtape is distributed to, suggesting that the digital mixtape characteristic might exist as a standalone app, separate from the Spotify app.
Nonetheless, one other model of the product consists of solely a “media playback engine,” indicating that somebody who is distributed a mixtape received’t need to obtain the complete mixtape app to take heed to it.
The total doc, obtained by MBW, may be read here.
No matter whether or not it’s a standalone app or not, the know-how is clearly meant to combine with Spotify’s music library (or a minimum of some music library).
In a single variation of the product, the audio information are saved remotely, and the mixtape participant merely makes requests to a database for the information which can be included within the mixtape. One other model of the know-how shops the information regionally on customers’ gadgets.
Spotify initially utilized for the patent in 2019, the US Patent Workplace doc exhibits.
Mixtapes turned widespread within the Eighties, when cassette recorders turned reasonably priced, making it attainable for individuals to repeat their present music cassettes onto clean cassette tapes. Mixtapes turned a method for individuals – notably youth – to “play DJ” and share their favourite music with associates.
Within the Nineties and 2000s, mixtapes shifted onto CDs, as soon as residence computer systems – full with CD burners – turned widespread.
“In newer instances, many individuals now not personal private collections of music from which a mixtape may be generated, and media playback programs don’t readily allow re-recording of that content material,” the Spotify patent utility states.
“As a substitute, many individuals now receive their music from on-line music streaming providers. Whereas on-line music streaming providers enable customers to entry a big catalog of music, the flexibility to compile personalized collections of music, and share music with others, is restricted.”
Spotify’s know-how wouldn’t be the primary to allow music followers to create their very own on-line mixtapes. Quite a few providers exist – a lot of them free, or providing a free model – which can be capable of create mixtapes, reminiscent of DragonTape, Everybody’s Mixtape and Kaseta.
And a few of these providers have run afoul of copyright legislation. One instance of that is mixtape web site Spinrilla, which shut down earlier this year after being ordered to pay $50 million to all three of the most important recording corporations (Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group) in a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Presumably, Spotify – with its quite a few licensing agreements with rights holders – will have the ability to keep away from these points. Nonetheless, the patent doesn’t handle licensing or copyright points.
“Whereas on-line music streaming providers enable customers to entry a big catalog of music, the flexibility to compile personalized collections of music, and share music with others, is restricted.”
Spotify patent utility
What makes Spotify’s patent stand out from different mixtape providers is its capacity to combine user-generated audio with songs.
“The creating person can be capable of a minimum of partially overlap the user-generated audio recording with a media content material merchandise,” the patent states.
“For instance, the creating person could file a transition that’s to be performed over the introduction of a music. The overlapped content material may be mixed, reminiscent of by mixing.”
The patent lists eight inventors, with the lead inventor being Henriette Cramer, Spotify’s head of Algorithmic Affect and a Director within the firm’s Belief and Security Group. Cramer is credited with 10 patents and greater than 60 revealed analysis articles.
Amongst Spotify’s granted patents lately are a know-how to determine listeners’ moods and counsel music accordingly; a “media content playback [device] based mostly on an recognized geolocation of a goal venue”; and know-how to monitor songwriter plagiarism.Music Enterprise Worldwide
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