Music distribution systems
First Claim
1. A system for distributing music to customer households, comprising:
- a data transmission system blanket transmitting a plurality of music selections to customer households in digital form;
a user station at each of a plurality of customer households, the user station including;
means permitting the customer household to preselect desired transmitted music selections for recording;
a receiver and associated high capacity storage medium for recording preselected music selections in digital form;
an audio output for outputting audio signals from the storage medium to a playback device so that the customer household may playback those recorded music selections it wishes to enjoy;
a central controller system having a database for storing therein an address corresponding to each customer household;
a communications link between each customer household and the central controller system to verify to the controller system when a preselected music selection has been made available for playback; and
a billing system associated with the central controller system to bill customer households for music selections that are made available for playback.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Music is blanket transmitted (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer'"'"'s user station where selected music files are recorded. Customers preselect from a list of available music in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay only for music that they choose to playback for their enjoyment. An antipiracy “ID tag” is woven into the recorded music so that any illegal copies therefrom may be traced to the purchase transaction. Music is transmitted on a fixed schedule or through an active scheduling process that monitors music requests from all or a subset of satellite receivers and adjust scheduling according to demand for various CD'"'"'s. Receivers store selections that are likely to be preferred by a specific customer. In those instances where weather conditions, motion of atmospheric layers or dish obstructions result in data loss, the system downloads the next transmission of the requested CD and uses both transmissions to produce a “good copy”. In conjunction with the blanket transmission of more popular music, an automated CD manufacturing facility may be provided to manufacture CD'"'"'s that are not frequently requested and distribute them by ground transportation.
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Citations
2 Claims
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1. A system for distributing music to customer households, comprising:
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a data transmission system blanket transmitting a plurality of music selections to customer households in digital form;
a user station at each of a plurality of customer households, the user station including;
means permitting the customer household to preselect desired transmitted music selections for recording;
a receiver and associated high capacity storage medium for recording preselected music selections in digital form;
an audio output for outputting audio signals from the storage medium to a playback device so that the customer household may playback those recorded music selections it wishes to enjoy;
a central controller system having a database for storing therein an address corresponding to each customer household;
a communications link between each customer household and the central controller system to verify to the controller system when a preselected music selection has been made available for playback; and
a billing system associated with the central controller system to bill customer households for music selections that are made available for playback.
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2. A method of distributing music to customer households comprising the steps of:
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blanket transmitting a plurality of music selections to customer households by direct broadcast satellite (DBS) at data transmission rates faster than real time;
providing each customer household with information identifying available music selections that will be transmitted;
permitting each customer household to preselect and record desired music selections on a high capacity storage medium;
permitting each customer household to playback recorded music selections;
communicating music playback information from each customer household to a central controller system; and
billing customer households for the recorded music selections that are made available for playback.
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Specification