AUDIO PLAYLIST SELECTIONS AND RELATED ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130005465A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eardish Corporation
• Original Assignee: Eardish Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Daniel Patrick, Underhill, Rodney E.
• Application Number:
  US13/305,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005465A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method of providing an entertainment game includes receiving information about a number of players that will be playing the game and receiving information about a music challenge in which the players will be competing. The music challenge is a subject, topic, or category for which there are a plurality of songs that are responsive to the music challenge. A database of songs can be provided from which each player can choose a selected song with each selected song being selected by a respective player in response to the music challenge. At least a portion of the selected songs can be played and the players can be polled to receive votes from the players for the song that best answers the challenge.

Claims

1. A method of providing an entertainment game involving the selection of music for playback, the method comprising:

receiving information about a number of players that will be playing the game;

receiving information about a music challenge in which the players will be competing, the music challenge comprising a subject, topic, or category for which there are a plurality of songs that are responsive to the music challenge;

providing a database of songs from which each player can choose a selected song, each selected song being selected by a respective player in response to the music challenge;

playing at least a portion of the selected songs; and

polling the players to receive votes from the players,

wherein each player can vote for one of the selected songs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the database of songs comprises a plurality of songs that are available to be streamed via a secondary website.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary website comprises YouTube™

.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each player can choose their respective selected song either from the database of songs or from another source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the music challenge can be selected from a list of previously-identified challenges.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each player is not permitted to vote for their own respective selected song.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a predetermined amount of time for each player to vote during the polling step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the playing of the at least a portion of the selected songs comprises playing an audio-only version of the selected songs, wherein a source of the selected songs comprises both audio and video components.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing each player with the option to view the video component of the selected songs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected song that receives the most votes is subsequently played in its entirety.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein songs in the database are associated with at least one URL from which the song can be streamed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least some of the songs in the database are associated with a plurality of URLs from which the song can be streamed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein when playing the at least a portion of the selected songs, if a URL associated with the selected song is found to be inactive, another URL associated with the selected song is utilized.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein when playing the at least a portion of the selected songs, if all URLs associated with the selected song are found to be inactive, that selected song is skipped and not included in the voting.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the players are permitted to add all of the selected songs into a playlist that can be saved.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the players are in different geographic locations from one another while playing the game.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein players are provided targeted advertising messages based on their geographic locations.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein players are provided with incentives to play additional games, the incentives being of monetary value.

19. A method of promoting music, the method comprising:

receiving songs from a plurality of artists;

publishing the songs on a website so the songs are available for viewing by users of the website;

receiving ratings by the users about the quality of the published songs; and

identifying the songs that receive the highest ratings by the users.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the artists of the songs that receive the highest rankings are provided with a prize.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the prize is that the music of the artists that receive the highest rankings is further promoted on the website.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the users are provided with incentives to rate the songs received from the artists.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the incentives comprise instant prizes and prizes for rating a predetermined number of songs.

24. A method of providing music to users, the method comprising:

identifying URLs from which a plurality of songs can be streamed from a location on the Internet;

associating the URLs with the plurality of songs;

providing a searchable database that includes the streamable songs and their associated URLs; and

providing a playlist generator that creates a playlist of a plurality of the streamable songs upon selection by a user.