System and method for recording and sharing music

• US 9,817,551 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charles Moncavage, Joseph E. Maenner
• Original Assignee: Charles Moncavage, Joseph E. Maenner
• Inventors: Moncavage, Charles, Maenner, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/551,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,087 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/361 Recording/reproducing of accompaniment for use with an external source, e.g. karaoke systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/365 the accompaniment information being stored on a host computer and transmitted to a reproducing terminal by means of a network, e.g. public telephone lines
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/106 using icons, e.g. selecting, moving or linking icons, on-screen symbols, screen regions or segments representing musical elements or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/121 Musical libraries, i.e. musical databases indexed by musical parameters, wavetables, indexing schemes using musical parameters, musical rule bases or knowledge bases, e.g. for automatic composing methods audio retrieval G06F16/60
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/181 Billing, i.e. purchasing of data contents for use with electrophonic musical instruments; Protocols therefor; Management of transmission or connection time therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A method includes uploading a plurality of songs to a server; allowing a first user to listen to a selected song from the plurality on an electronic device, the selected song being transmitted across an electronic network from the server; allowing the first user to record a user-generated stem track using the electronic device, the electronic device being located at the user location; without saving the user-generated stem track, transmitting only the user-generated stem track across the electronic network to the server; storing the user-generated stem track on the server; allowing the first user to select a plurality of other individual user-generated stem tracks from the server and combine the selected user-generated stem tracks to form a user-generated cover song; and transmitting an electronic message to other users who generated the other individual user-generated stem tracks, informing them of the combination of their stem tracks to form the cover song.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a) uploading a plurality of master songs at a server location to a server located at the server location;

b) allowing a first user to listen to a selected song from the plurality of master songs on an electronic device at a user location, the selected song being transmitted across an electronic network from the server at the server location;

c) allowing the first user to record a user-generated stem track using the electronic device during step b), the electronic device being located at the user location;

d) without saving the user-generated stem track at the user location, simultaneously with step c), transmitting only the user-generated stem track across the electronic network to the server location;

e) storing the user-generated stem track on the server at the server location;

f) allowing the first user to select, from the user location, a plurality of other individual user-generated stem tracks from the server and combine the selected user-generated stem tracks at the user location to form a user-generated cover song; and

g) transmitting an electronic message to other users who generated each of the plurality of other individual user-generated stem tracks, informing the other users of the combination of the selected user-generated stem tracks to form the user-generated cover song.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing the first user to store the cover song on the server.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising allowing the first user to download the cover song from the server.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising accepting an electronic payment from the first user in exchange for allowing the first user to download the cover song from the server.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing a second user to listen to the user-generated cover song across the electronic network at a second user location and to purchase the user-generated cover song.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing a second user to listen to the user-generated stem track across the electronic network at a second user location and to combine the user-generated stem track with a plurality of other user-generated stem tracks at the second user location to form a cover song.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

a) uploading a plurality of master songs to a server location;

b) determining a start time for the master song;

c) allowing a user at a user location to select a selected song from the plurality of master songs;

d) transmitting the selected song from the server location to the first user location;

e) prior to allowing the user to record a user-generated track, determining a start time of the user-generated track;

f) allowing the first user to record the user-generated track using a first electronic device at the user location while listening to the selected song on the first electronic device without saving the user-generated track on the first electronic device;

g) providing the user-generated track with a user-generated track start time;

h) aligning the user-generated track start time with the song start time;

i) transmitting the user-generated track to and storing the user-generated track at the first server location separately from the plurality of master songs;

j) allowing a second user to record a second user-generated track on a second electronic device at a second user location while listening to the selected song on the second electronic device, the second user-generated track having a second user-generated track start time such that the second user-generated track start time is aligned with the first user-generated track start time;

k) storing the first user-generated track and the second user-generated track in a database at the server location;

l) allowing a third user to transmit the first user-generated track and the second user-generated track from the database to a third user location, and allowing the third user to combine the first user-generated track with the second user-generated track to form a cover song in the absence of subsequent user manipulation of either of the first user-generated track and the second user-generated track; and

m) transmitting an electronic message to each of the first user and the second user, informing the first user and the second user of the use of the first user-generated track and the second user-generated track to form the cover song.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein steps d) and f) are performed simultaneously.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

a) uploading a plurality of master songs at a server location to a server located at the server location;

b) allowing a plurality of users to listen to a selected song from the plurality of master songs on an electronic device at a user location, the selected song being transmitted across an electronic network from the server at the server location;

c) allowing each of the plurality of users to record a user-generated stem track using the electronic device during step b), resulting in a plurality of user-generated stem tracks, the electronic device being located at each user location;

d) without saving the user-generated stem tracks at each user location, simultaneously with step c), transmitting only the user-generated stem tracks across the electronic network to the server location;

e) storing the user-generated stem tracks on the server at the server location;

f) allowing a new user, different from any of the plurality of users from step d, to select, from the new user location, a plurality of the user-generated stem tracks from the server and combine the selected of the plurality of the user-generated stem tracks at the new user location to form a new user-generated cover song; and

g) transmitting an electronic message to other users who generated each of the plurality of user-generated stem tracks, informing the other users of the combination of the selected user-generated stem tracks to form the new user-generated cover song.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising allowing the new user to store the new user-generated cover song on the server.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising allowing the new user to download the cover song from the server.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising accepting an electronic payment from the new user in exchange for allowing the new user to download the cover song from the server.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising allowing a second user to listen to the new user-generated cover song across the electronic network at a second user location and to purchase the user-generated cover song.