DISCOVERY OF MUSIC ARTIST AND TITLE FOR SYNDICATED CONTENT PLAYED BY RADIO STATIONS

• US 20140336798A1
• Filed: 05/12/2013
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harry E. Emerson III
• Original Assignee: Harry E. Emerson III
• Inventors: Emerson, Harry E. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,418,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/54 for retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/74 using programme related information, e.g. title, composer or interpreter
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices

Abstract

Radio stations broadcasting syndicated content for which the broadcast automation system is not provided with the artist and title of songs has a software application in an associated computer that receives and analyzes the audio stream to detect songs, and creates a digital fingerprint of the songs. Fingerprints are compared against an acoustic fingerprinting song database to obtain the artist and title of the song. When a match is discovered, the song artist and title are provided to encoding software that inserts the artist and title into the radio station'"'"'s digital broadcast for receipt and display by compatible radio receivers, and are transmitted on the Internet to simulcast media players of listeners for presentation of the artist and title of songs as they are playing.

Claims

1. A method to determine the artist and title of songs played by a radio station by comparing an acoustic fingerprint, being a digital representation of a song or a portion of a song, with a database of songs having acoustic fingerprints associated with the artist and title of each song, and retrieving the artist and title of the song if a match is found, said radio station having an audio system with an audio output connected to a transmitter and also connected to an audio analysis system, the audio analysis system having available a fingerprinting system and a database system having a database of song fingerprints, said database associating acoustic fingerprints with the artist and title of songs, comprising the steps of:

a. analyzing said audio output by said audio analysis system to determine the approximate beginning of a new song;

b. submitting a portion up to the entirety of a new song to said fingerprinting system for the creation of an acoustic fingerprint of the new song once the approximate beginning of said new song has been detected;

c. submitting said acoustic fingerprint of said audio content element to said database system for comparison with fingerprints in the database;

d. receiving the artist and title-of the song from the database system in the case where an acoustic fingerprint in the database matches the acoustic fingerprint being compared, or returning to step (a) if a match is not found;

e. submitting said received artist and title to a digital encoder concurrently with the playing of the song, said digital encoder being coupled to the radio station'"'"'s transmitter, so that compatible radio receivers tuned to the radio station receive the digital artist and title data in conjunction with the audio from the radio station, and thus being enabled to display the artist and title of the song being played; and

,

f. returning to step (a) for retrieval of the artist and title of another song.

2. A method as described in claim 1 wherein at step (c) said digital encoder being coupled to the Internet, and said radio station having a digital audio output connected to the Internet for simulcast reception by media players, the step at (c) comprises submitting said received artist and title to said encoder to be digitally transmitted on the Internet to media players receiving the Internet simulcast of said radio station, said media players thus being enabled to display the artist and title of a song as it is being played.

3. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said audio analysis system and said fingerprinting system are the same system.

4. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said database system having a database of song fingerprints is remote from the radio station, and communication of audio data and artist and title data between the radio station and the song fingerprint database takes place on the Internet.

5. A method as described in claim 1 wherein the audio analysis system and the fingerprinting system are remote from the radio station, and communication of audio data between the radio station and the audio analysis system and fingerprinting system takes place on the Internet.

6. A method as described in claim 1 wherein the received artist and title are written to a log file.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable medium containing processor readable code for programming a processor for use in operating a system at a radio station to determine the artist and title of songs played by the radio station by comparing an acoustic fingerprint, being a digital representation of a song or a portion of a song, with a database of songs having acoustic fingerprints associated with the artist and title of each song, and retrieving the artist and title of the song if a match is found, said radio station having an audio system with an audio output connected to a transmitter and also connected to an audio analysis system, the audio analysis system having available a fingerprinting system and a database system having a database of song fingerprints, said database associating acoustic fingerprints with the artist and title of songs, comprising:

a. a routine for analyzing said audio output by said audio analysis system to determine the approximate beginning of a song;

b. a routine for submitting a portion up to the entirety of a new song to said fingerprinting system for the creation of an acoustic fingerprint of the new song once the approximate beginning of said new song has been detected;

c. a routine for submitting said acoustic fingerprint of said audio content element to said database system for comparison with fingerprints in the database;

d. a routine for receiving the artist and title-of the song from the database system in the case where an acoustic fingerprint in the database matches the acoustic fingerprint being compared, or returning to step (a) if a match is not found;

e. a routine for submitting said received artist and title to a digital encoder concurrently with the playing of the song, said digital encoder being coupled to the radio station'"'"'s transmitter, so that compatible radio receivers tuned to the radio station receive the digital artist and title data in conjunction with the audio from the radio station, and thus being enabled to display the artist and title of the song being played; and

,

f. a routine for returning to step (a) for retrieval of the artist and title of another song.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 wherein at step (c) said digital encoder being coupled to the Internet, and said radio station having a digital audio output connected to the Internet for simulcast reception by media players, the step at (c) comprises submitting said received artist and title to said encoder to be digitally transmitted on the Internet to media players receiving the Internet simulcast of said radio station, said media players thus being enabled to display the artist and title of a song as it is being played.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 wherein said audio analysis system and said fingerprinting system are the same system.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 wherein said database of song fingerprints is remote from the radio station, and communication of audio data and artist and title data between the radio station and the song fingerprint database takes place on the Internet.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the audio analysis system and the fingerprinting system are remote from the radio station, and communication of audio data between the radio station and the audio analysis system and fingerprinting system takes place on the Internet.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the received artist and title are written to a log file.

13. A system to determine the artist and title of songs played by a radio station by comparing an acoustic fingerprint, being a digital representation of a song or a portion of a song, with a database of songs having acoustic fingerprints associated with the artist and title of each song, and retrieving the artist and title of the song if a match is found, comprising:

a. an audio system of said radio station having an audio output connected to a transmitter and also connected to an audio analysis system;

b. an audio analysis system having available a fingerprinting system and a database system having a database of song fingerprints, said database associating acoustic fingerprints with the artist and title of songs, said audio analysis system arranged to determine the approximate beginning of a song;

c. a fingerprinting system available to the audio analysis system and arranged to create an acoustic fingerprint of a song;

d. a database system available to said fingerprinting system and having a database of song fingerprints arranged to compare an acoustic fingerprint of a song created by the fingerprinting system with fingerprints in the database, and to retrieve the artist and title of a song when a match is found; and

,

e. a transmitter system arranged to accept said retrieved artist and title of a song, and to digitally submit said artist and title for digital transmission on radio waves as the associated song is playing and being transmitted, said digitally transmitted artist and title being available for display on compatible receivers.

14. A system as described in claim 13 wherein said transmitter system is replaced with a digital audio output connected to the Internet for simulcast reception by media players, wherein said retrieved artist and title is digitally transmitted on the Internet to media players receiving the Internet simulcast of said radio station, said media players thus being enabled to display the artist and title of a song as it is being played.

15. A system as described in claim 13 wherein said audio analysis system and said fingerprinting system are the same system.

16. A system as described in claim 13 wherein said database of song fingerprints is remote from the radio station, and communication of audio data and artist and title data between the radio station and the song fingerprint database takes place on the Internet.

17. A system as described in claim 13 wherein the audio analysis system and the fingerprinting system are remote from the radio station and communication of audio data between the radio station and the audio analysis system and fingerprinting system takes place on the Internet.

18. A system as described in claim 13 also comprising a log file writing system wherein the received artist and title are written to a log file.