Method and system for time-shortening songs

• US 7,038,118 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reel George Productions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reel George Productions, Inc.
• Inventors: Gimarc, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warren, David S.
• Application Number:
  US10/271,674
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00, 846/01, 846/09, 846/49, 700/94, 434/308, 434/319, 708/172, 704/500, 704/503, 705/14
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• 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 2210/031 Musical analysis, i.e. isolation, extraction or identification of musical elements or musical parameters from a raw acoustic signal or from an encoded audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/131 Morphing, i.e. transformation of a musical piece into a new different one, e.g. remix
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/091 Info, i.e. juxtaposition of unrelated auxiliary information or commercial messages with or between music files
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set

Abstract

A method and system for time-shortening one or more songs to generate time-shortened versions of the one or more songs are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a song editor time-shortens one or more songs and provides the time-shortened versions to a music provider. The music provider can then distribute one or more of the time-shortened songs to one or more listeners. Alternatively, in another embodiment, a song editor enables a music provider to time-shorten one or more songs. The song editor can enable the music provider by providing the music provider a procedure to time-shorten a song, where the song is provided by the song editor or is obtained separately by the music provider. The music provider can then apply the supplied procedure to the song to generate a time-shortened vision. Alternatively, the song editor can enable the music provider by providing one or more characteristics of a song selected for time-shortening. These characteristics can be provided to the music provider as identifiers embedded in the data representative of the song or as identifiers provided separately, such as in a table. The music provider can then use the supplied characteristics to time-shorten the song according to a procedure available to the music provider. Various embodiments of the present invention can be performed manually or by using an automated process, such as a software application executed by a computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

for each song of a plurality of songs, identifying one or more characteristics of a plurality of song portions; and

providing the one or more characteristics to a music provider, wherein the music provider is enabled to provide modified songs, the modified songs having one or more of their respective song portions remove based on the one or more characteristics;

wherein providing includes providing the plurality of songs to the music provider;

wherein each of the plurality of songs includes identifiers associated with each of the plurality of song portions; and

wherein the identifiers are embedded in data representative of the song and where the step of providing includes providing the data having the embedded identifiers to the music provider.

2. A method for broadcasting songs and an advertisement comprising:

determining, from a plurality of songs, a sequence of songs having a combined play length substantially equal to a determined time duration, wherein a majority of the sequence of songs are time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats wherein the advertisement is included with the sequence of songs and wherein the determined time duration is based on a predetermined broadcast time of day of an advertisement; and

broadcasting the sequence of songs for substantially the determined time duration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined time duration represents a time duration between a broadcast of a first advertisement and a broadcast of a second advertisement.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting a subset of songs of the plurality of songs; and

modifying the selected subset of songs to generate time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats, wherein the substantially time-shortened formats are based on the determined time duration;

wherein the sequence of songs includes the time-shortened songs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the selected subset of songs comprises:

identifying one or more characteristics of a song of the selected subset of songs; and

removing one or more song portions based on the one or more characteristics to generate a time-shortened song.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein removing one or more song portions comprises:

associating weights to the one or more characteristics; and

removing the one or more song portions based on the weights assigned to the one or more characteristics.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more song portions are identified based on identifiers embedded in data representative of the selected song.

8. A method comprising:

receiving an advertisement,

receiving an indication of a first time of day for an advertisement to be broadcast by a music broadcaster;

determining, from a plurality of songs, a sequence of songs for broadcast, wherein a broadcast of the last song of the sequence of songs ends substantially at the first time of day, wherein a majority of the sequence of songs are time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats;

broadcasting the sequence of songs; and

broadcasting the advertisement after broadcasting the last song of the sequence of songs.

9. The method of claim 8, farther comprising:

selecting a song from the plurality of songs; and

modifying the selected song to generate a time-shortened song having a substantially time-shortened format, wherein the substantially time-shortened format is based on the determined time duration;

wherein the sequence of songs includes the time-shortened song.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the selected song comprises:

identifying one or more characteristics of the selected song; and

removing one or more song portions based on the one or more characteristics to generate the time-shortened song.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein removing one or more song portions comprises:

associating weights to the one or more characteristics; and

removing the one or more song portions based on the weights assigned to the one or more characteristics.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more song portions are identified based on identifiers embedded in data representative of the selected song.

13. A method comprising:

broadcasting a first sequence of songs and advertisements during a first duration, the first sequence of songs selected from a first plurality of time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats;

broadcasting a second sequence of songs and advertisements during a second duration substantially equal to the first duration, the second sequence of songs selected from a second plurality of songs;

wherein a number of songs of the first sequence of songs and advertisements is substantially equal to a number of songs of the second sequence of songs and advertisements; and

wherein a number of advertisements of the first sequence of songs and advertisements is greater than a number of advertisements of the second sequence of songs and advertisements.

14. A method for broadcasting songs comprising:

selecting a subset of songs of a plurality of songs;

modifying the selected subset of songs to generate time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats, wherein the substantially time-shortened formats are based on a predetermined time duration and wherein modifying the selected subset of songs comprises;

identifying one or more characteristics of a song of the selected subset of songs; and

removing one or more song portions based on the one or more characteristics to generate a time-shortened song, wherein removing one or more song portions comprises associating weights to the one or more characteristics and removing the one or more song portions based on the weights assigned to the one or more characteristics;

determining, from the plurality of songs, a sequence of songs having a combined play length substantially equal to the predetermined time duration, wherein a majority of the sequence of songs are time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats and wherein the sequence of songs includes the generated time-shortened songs; and

broadcasting the sequence of songs for substantially the determined time duration.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determined time duration is based on a predetermined broadcast time of an advertisement.

16. A method for broadcasting songs comprising:

selecting a subset of songs of a plurality of songs;

modifying the selected subset of songs to generate time-shortened songs having substantially time-shortened formats, wherein the substantially time-shortened formats are based on a predetermined time duration and wherein modifying the selected subset of songs comprises;

identifying one or more characteristics of a song of the selected subset of songs based on identifiers embedded in data representative of the song; and

removing one or more song portions based on the one or more characteristics to generate a time-shortened song;

determining, from the plurality of songs, a sequence of songs having a combined play length substantially equal to the predetermined time duration, wherein a majority of the sequence of songs are time-shortened songs having-substantially time-shortened formats and wherein the sequence of songs includes the generated time-shortened songs; and

broadcasting the sequence of songs for substantially the determined time duration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determined time duration is based on a predetermined broadcast time of an advertisement.