Methods for online collaboration

• US 10,007,893 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blog Band, LLC
• Original Assignee: Blog Band, LLC
• Inventors: Emmerson, Parker M. D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David
• Application Number:
  US14/611,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 84600-602
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/091 Graphical user interface [GUI] specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. interactive musical displays, musical instrument icons or menus; Details of user interactions therewith GUI in general G06F3/048
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and editing collaborative music compositions via a computer network, including remote uploading tracks by musicians, and for creating and joining a band, wherein the system and methods provide for at least one musician to join a virtual group of at least one other musician for the purpose of virtual collaborative creating and/or editing music tracks remotely, via an online network and interactive website therefor.

Claims

1. A system for creating a virtual band for providing online music composition comprising:

an interactive website constructed and configured in communication with a server; and

at least two musician entities being self-selectively combinable to form the virtual band to collaborate musically to create at least one song;

wherein the interactive website is accessible by at least one device via network communication;

wherein the interactive website is further capable of receiving at least one track created offline by the at least two musician entities;

wherein the at least one track is operable to be given a property of being the at least one song by the at least two musician entities;

wherein the interactive website is operable for permitting a visitor to the interactive website to register as a user, the user being a musician entity or a listener;

wherein the interactive website is operable for allowing the user to create a playlist comprised of tracks, songs, or a combination thereof;

wherein a fee is collected from consumers of at least one item on the interactive website and a profit from the fee is distributed to at least one contributor of the at least one item;

wherein the at least one item is operable to be given an accessibility by the at least one contributor;

wherein the at least one item is selected from the group consisting of the at least one track, the at least one song, the tracks in the playlist, the songs in the playlist, and the playlist;

wherein the at least one contributor is at least one of the at least two musician entities who created the at least one track and the at least one song, musicians who created the tracks and the songs in the playlist, or the user who created the playlist;

wherein the profit is distributed to the at least one contributor of the at least one item;

equally by percentage;

according to a first tier system in which the profit is distributed by percentage;

or according to a second tier system in which the profit is distributed by amount; and

wherein the fee is converted from a native currency to a desired currency and the profit is distributed to the at least one contributor in the desired currency.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visitor to the interactive website comprises a visitor directed to the interactive website from another website.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two musician entities are capable of self-selecting genre labels and the at least one track is automatically labeled with a genre label based on the genre labels of the at least two musician entities that created the at least one track.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive website automatically receives a track upon the track being sent to an associated song email address, wherein the associated song email address has either public accessibility or private accessibility.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one track is automatically converted from a native file format to a file format compatible with the interactive website.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a musician entity, upon invitation by a musician entity of a virtual band, or upon a successful audition for the virtual band, becomes a guest member of the virtual band, the guest member being able to collaborate on a selected song, thereby becoming a contributor on the selected song.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a track or a version of a track uploaded into a song folder is operable to be accepted or rejected by the at least one contributor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the track or the version of the track is uploaded via an actual application running on a tablet, a computer or a mobile device, and wherein the actual application provides access to a filing path system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the filing path system is a content management system set up by a user on the interactive website with a profile and an account of the user accessible within the actual application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the desired currency is a peer-to-peer digital currency.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the fee is collected from licensing services for media provided by bands and musicians.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a custom-tailored cryptocurrency network for facilitating the licensing services based on distributed cryptographical ledger technology.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the bands and musicians providing media receive payment from a user via the custom-tailored cryptocurrency network, data is downloaded by the user and a license authorization key is generated for the user with a particular address over the custom-tailored cryptocurrency network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the license authorization key turns the data into consumable media.

15. A method for creating, organizing and managing a virtual band, comprising:

providing a system comprising a server in communication with an interactive website accessible by at least one remote device over network communication;

the interactive website receiving a first track created off-line by a first musician entity;

a second musician entity selectively downloading and combining the first track with at least a second track;

the interactive website receiving a combined track from the second musician entity;

the first musician entity and the second musician entity forming the virtual band by self-selection for online music creation, editing, and social network-based distribution through the interactive website;

the virtual band giving the combined track a property of being a song;

the interactive website collecting a fee from consumers of the combined track on the interactive website;

the interactive website converting the fee from a native currency to a desired currency; and

the interactive website distributing a profit from the fee to the first music entity and the second music entity in the desired currency;

equally by percentage;

according to a first tier system in which the profit is distributed by percentage;

or according to a second tier system in which the profit is distributed by amount.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the virtual band determining an accessibility to the combined track, and wherein the accessibility is public, private, paid, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the virtual band selecting at least one genre label; and

the combined track automatically being labeled with a genre label based on the at least one genre label selected by the virtual band.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising a third musician entity, upon invitation by the first or second musician entity of the virtual band, or upon a successful audition for the virtual band, becoming a guest member of the virtual band, wherein the guest member is operable to collaborate on a selected song, thereby becoming a contributor on the selected song.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the interactive website receiving the first track via a song email address to which the first track was sent, wherein the song email address has either public accessibility or private accessibility.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the first track being automatically converted from a native file format to a file format compatible with the interactive website.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising distributing the profit in a form of peer-to-peer digital currency.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising collecting the fee from licensing services for the combined track.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising a custom-tailored cryptocurrency network facilitating the licensing services based on distributed cryptographical ledger technology.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the bands and musicians providing media, receiving payment from a user with a particular address via the custom-tailored cryptocurrency network, and granting the user to download a data and a license authorization key over the custom-tailored cryptocurrency network.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the license authorization key turning the data into consumable media.