Methods for Online Collaboration

• US 20150154562A1
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blog Band, LLC
• Original Assignee: Parker M D Emmerson
• Inventors: Emmerson, Parker M. D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,007,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• 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

18. 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 website receiving a first track created off-line by a first musician entity;

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

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

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

the musician entities of the virtual bands giving at least one of the uploaded tracks or combined tracks the property of being a song.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 musician entities are capable of self-selecting genre label(s) and the at least one track is automatically labeled with a genre label based on the genre label(s) of the musician entities that created the track.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the website automatically receives a track upon the track being sent to an associated song email address, wherein the 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 an item is operable to be given an accessibility by at least one contributor, the item including any of the track(s), the song(s), the playlist(s) or a combination thereof, and the at least one contributor being at least one musician entity who created the track(s) or song(s), or the at least one contributor being at least one musician entity who created the track(s) or song(s) of the playlist(s) and a producer of the playlist(s).

8. The system of claim 7, 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.

9. The system of claim 8, 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.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the filing path system is a content management system set up by a user on the website network with that user'"'"'s profile and account accessible within the application.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein a profit from a fee is distributed to the at least one contributor of the item:

equally by percentage;

according to a first tier system in which the at least one contributor of the item designates the allocation of profits to contributor(s) of the item by percentage;

or according to a second tier system, in which the at least one contributor designates the allocation of profits to contributor(s) of the item by amount.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the fee is converted from a native currency to a desired currency and the profit is distributed to the contributor(s) in the desired currency.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the desired currency is peer-to-peer digital currency.

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

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a custom-tailored cryptocurrency network is used to facilitate the licensing services based on distributed cryptographical ledger technology.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the bands and musicians providing media receive payment from a user via the cryptocurrency network, data is downloaded by the user and a license authorization key is generated for the user with a particular address over the cryptocurrency network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the license authorization key turns the data into consumable media.

19. The method of claim 18, further including the steps of at least one contributor of an item determining the item'"'"'s accessibility, the item including any of the track(s), the song(s), playlist(s) of song(s) and/or track(s) or a combination thereof, and the accessibility being either public, private, paid, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the musician entities self-selecting genre label(s); and

at least one track automatically being labeled with a genre label based on the genre label(s) of the musician entities that created the track.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising another musician entity, upon invitation by the musician entity of a 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.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

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

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

the track being automatically converted from a native file format to a file format compatible with the interactive website.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising uploading tracks via an actual application running on a tablet, computer or mobile device, and wherein the actual application provides access to a filing path system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the filing path system is a content management system set up by a user on the website network with that user'"'"'s profile and account accessible within the application.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising distributing the profit in the form of peer-to-peer digital currency.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising collecting fees from licensing services for media provided by bands and musicians.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising a custom-tailored cryptocurrency network facilitating the licensing services based on distributed cryptographical ledger technology.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the bands and musicians providing media receiving payment from a user with a particular address via the cryptocurrency network, granting data download and a license authorization key to the user over the cryptocurrency network.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the license authorization key turning the data into consumable media.

24-1. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

distributing any profit from collected fees to contributor(s) of the item for which the fees were paid, the distribution being either;

equally by percentage;

according to a first tier system, in which at least one contributor designates the allocation of profits to contributor(s) of the item by percentage;

or according to a second tier system, in which the at least one contributor designates the allocation of profits to contributor(s) of the item by amount.

25-2. The method of claim 24, further comprising converting the collected fees from a native currency to a desired currency and distributing the profit to the contributor(s) in the desired currency.