Method for the creation, automatic cataloguing, and distribution of musical tracks

Abstract

A method for the creation, automatic cataloguing and distribution of custom and license-free musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms, professional studios and the like, comprising a sequence of steps of: - definition of a plurality of musical specifications (block 13) relative to the type of tracks to be generated; - transmission of the specifications to a first algorithm (block 14) for the generation of encoded musical prompts; - processing of the musical prompts by means of a second algorithm (block 15) for the generation of a musical track (block 16); - mastering and conversion (block 17) of the musical track; - cataloguing, metadata association and allocation to a library (block 18); - transfer to an FTP server (block 20); - distribution and transmission (streaming step) of the musical tracks taken from the FTP server.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for making, automatically cataloguing and distributing music.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention refers to a method for the generation of musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms, professional studios and the like through a platform that, thanks to its business model with a so-called "all-in-one" license, avoids licensing costs (collective management companies of copyright and related rights such as, for example, SIAE or SCF and the like, to the managers of commercial establishments.

[0003] As is known, the diffusion of music in commercial environments is an element that many companies take into consideration to improve the customer experience (it can create a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere, increasing the time spent by customers in the structure and improving brand perception), influence the atmosphere, strengthen brand identity (it can help consolidate brand identity and create a memorable experience for customers) and, also, the diffusion of music can positively influence people's behaviour with regard to purchases (appropriate music can create and influence purchasing behaviour, encouraging customers to spend more or move through the space in specific ways).

[0004] The creation of music can be achieved through composers and musicians who try to best interpret and reflect the identity and values linked to a specific brand or situation, event or similar.

[0005] However, such a creation method presents some economic and management complexities related to the costs related to the music production chain (for example, the fees for composers and musicians, the legal aspects of licensing related to copyright and the conditions of use of composed music). Another well-known method for the creation of musical tracks is represented by the use of tracks purchasable on appropriate royalty-free platforms and, therefore, payments for each use; in fact, musical tracks are freely usable upon payment of a single fee.

[0006] However, this method of creating music also has some significant drawbacks related to the possibility that legal issues may arise (for example, with reference to the licensing terms of each platform to ensure that the intended use is allowed or the fact that some tracks may require attribution to the artist or composer).

[0007] A further drawback is the very high costs and the hours of work necessary for the conversion of the files and for their manual cataloguing.

[0008] A further drawback is represented by a creative limit in the proposal of original bookstores to draw on and this is because the choice remains limited to what is available on the purchase platform.

[0009] The object of this invention is to obviate the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0010] More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for the realization, automatic cataloguing and for the low-cost distribution of large quantities of quality musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms, professional studios and the like in a completely "free" manner, i.e. without the need to pay expensive licenses for copyright.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the generation and subsequent automatic cataloging, through metadata of musical tracks, which allows commercial spaces and the like to save on operating costs related to the dissemination of music in their spaces.

[0012] A further object of the present invention is to provide a method that allows commercial and similar businesses to produce "custom" and personalized music according to the specific characteristics and needs of the commercial operation itself.

[0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for the generation of musical tracks that also allows to include, within the musical programming, advertising spots defining the mode of dissemination within the musical slots; this with the aim of allowing, not only the in-store promotion of the product of the merchant who uses the service but also to expand its ability to generate income through the sale to third parties of advertising space included in the schedule of the radio programming of its commercial activity programmable directly on the platform.

[0014] A further object of the present invention is to allow users to automatically generate organized sequences of musical tracks (playlists) defined on the basis of the mood / feeling and the preferred genre of the individual and / or on the basis of the specific needs of the user or of the commercial operation by drawing on an archive of musical tracks generated in accordance with the method of the invention.

[0015] A further object of the present invention is to make available to users a method for the generation of musical tracks that is easy to use and that can also be economically realized.

[0016] These and other objects are achieved by the invention having the features referred to in claim 1.

[0017] According to the invention there is provided a method for the generation of custom and license-free musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms and the like which comprises a sequence of steps of defining a plurality of musical specifications relating to the type of tracks to be generated, transmission of the specifications to a first algorithm for the generation of encoded musical prompts, processing of the musical prompts by means of a second algorithm for the generation of a musical track, mastering and conversion (block 17) of the musical track, cataloguing and allocation in a library, transfer to an FTP server and distribution and transmission (streaming step) of the musical tracks.

[0018] Advantageous embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

[0019] The constructive and functional characteristics of the method for the generation of musical tracks of the present invention can be better understood from the detailed description that follows, in which reference will be made to the attached table that represents a diagram relating to a preferred and non-limiting embodiment and in which: figure 1 illustrates a functional scheme of the method for generating musical tracks of the invention.

[0020] With reference to the aforementioned figure, the method for the generation of musical tracks of the invention, comprises a hardware means 12, defined by a tablet or mobile phone of the smartphone or computer type or the like, provided with an application or interface means that allows a user to provide the definition of a plurality of specifications relating to the type of tracks (for example, organized sequences of musical tracks (playlists) defined on the basis of the mood / feeling and the preferred genre of the individual) which, as detailed below, is intended to be generated and disseminated.

[0021] Such specifications refer to the characteristics of the music such as time, tonality, modality, chord progressions or complex rhythms to be used, to stylistic indications with reference to the type of musical style to be used (for example, a jazz or funky style, a fusion between pop and rock, etc.), may comprise indications on the structure of the musical composition (such as, for example, the number of sections and bars, the length of each part or how these sections must be organized), may contain requests with reference to the fact that the music transmits specific emotions, moods or tells a story through musical progression; essentially, such specifications must contain all the requests functional to the generation of musical tracks on the basis of specific needs of the commercial exercise and the like.

[0022] These musical specifications (block 13) must be transmitted and processed by means of a first algorithm that uses artificial intelligence techniques (block 14) that operates on these specifications generating musical "prompts" encoded in accordance with specific musical rules (for example, referring to "deep learning" techniques); the more the specifications are transmitted in a precise and detailed way, the better the generation of the prompts and, consequently, of the musical track.

[0023] In particular, the algorithm uses advanced natural language processing techniques and "machine learning" to generate the aforementioned "prompts" based also on the preferences requested by the user, current musical trends and the like (based, for example, on market research carried out).

[0024] The musical specifications (block 13) must be transmitted and processed by an advanced algorithm that exploits artificial intelligence techniques (block 14) and that generates musical "prompts" encoded according to defined musical rules, such as the harmonic scale, time (BPM - beats per minute), rhythmic structure and instrumental combinations.

[0025] As an example, a prompt might include information such as: musical scale: for example, major or minor scale, Doric mode, Phrygian, etc.; BPM (beats per minute): which defines the speed of the song, such as 120 BPM for an energetic pop song or 60 BPM for relaxing ambient music. Instrumental timbre: which instruments to include or exclude, e.g. piano, acoustic guitar, synthesizers, or light percussion. Harmonic structure: harmonic chords and progressions, such as I-IV-V or II-V-I, very common in different musical genres.

[0026] The more detailed and specific the information provided (such as BPM, scale and preferred instruments), the more accurate the generation of the prompts and, consequently, the music song. For example, it could be specified: "Jazz song in doric scale with piano and double bass, 80 BPM, relaxing and sophisticated atmosphere" or "EDM song with incisive rhythm, 128 BPM, in natural minor scale, suitable for an evening promotion context".

[0027] The advanced algorithm that leverages artificial intelligence techniques (block 14) employs advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques to interpret these specifications and generate prompts that adapt to the user's preferences.

[0028] In addition to processing the data provided by the user, the algorithm can integrate information on current music trends, using machine learning models trained on datasets of music preferences, market research and analysis of current trends. For example, if a user requests "contemporary pop," the AI might orient itself toward rhythmic and harmonic structures that reflect the characteristics of the most popular songs at that time, such as common chord patterns and BPMs typical for the genre.

[0029] Such an approach makes it possible to obtain music that not only responds exactly to the desired technical parameters (such as scale and BPM), but also adapts to the commercial context and current trends, guaranteeing advanced customisation and superior quality.

[0030] The prompts thus generated are processed by means of a second algorithm (block 15) that uses artificial intelligence techniques and which, on the basis of these prompts, composes and produces the musical track (block 16) through generative neural networks (often based on advanced models such as recurrent neural networks (RNN) and adversary generative neural networks (GAN) and which can be used to compose music, generate melodies, harmonize existing tracks or create new tracks with specific styles) and in compliance with the specific requests referred to in the prompts.

[0031] Said second algorithm uses appropriately trained models on a large corpus of music in order to learn the implicit rules of musical composition (for example, the neural network learns to predict the next sequence of notes or chords based on the current one).

[0032] The musical specifications provided through these prompts are used and evaluated by the algorithm in a structured way, following a two-step method: Prompt processing phase (first algorithm using artificial intelligence techniques (block 14)): the prompts, which contain detailed specifications such as musical scale, BPM, harmonic structure and instrumental timbres, are first interpreted by the algorithm using deep learning or NPL (Natural Language Processing) techniques and which is trained to understand the musical language and the user's preferences and which converts the specifications into an encoded representation ready to be processed. This algorithm analyses the parameters and evaluates the consistency of the information, considering the musical rules (for example, harmonic progressions or relationships between time and atmosphere) and verifies that the preferences are consistent with the required style; Music generation phase (second algorithm (block 15) that uses artificial intelligence techniques): said second algorithm, responsible for the actual generation of the music track, uses advanced machine learning techniques to translate the prompts into a musical composition. This second algorithm can exploit generative neural networks, such as GAN or RNN models, which have been previously trained on very large and diverse music datasets that include structural information about music (scales, BPM, chords, genres, styles) and have been trained to recognize valid music patterns. This algorithm is not limited to being a generic model, but requires specific training for the functions of the method of the invention and, in particular, the algorithm is trained to operate on the basis of personalized prompts and to integrate the user's preferences with current music trends or market analysis (the system is configured to generate professional quality music that faithfully reflects both the technical parameters provided by the user and the specific contexts of use, such as the target of a commercial activity or the type of audience).

[0033] Training can include: The integration of a proprietary music database that guarantees the production of non-copyrighted content; The use of "reinforcement learning" techniques to improve the quality and consistency of compositions based on user feedback and the context of use (for example, songs suitable for certain times of the day or types of event). In particular, the method of the invention, unlike known methods that use pre-trained models to generate songs in a more generic way, is distinguished by advanced customization.

[0034] The second algorithm that uses artificial intelligence techniques is specifically trained to incorporate and respond to the commercial needs defined by the user (such as the audience target or the need for offline tracks), guaranteeing greater flexibility than generic software that operates on standard sets of parameters.

[0035] The musical tracks (block 16) generated in the manner described above are mastered and converted (block 17) in accordance with the high definition standards required for distribution or for compatibility with various playback formats.

[0036] Said mastered and converted musical tracks are subsequently catalogued and allocated to a library (block 18) in which they are organized on the basis of genre or type of emotion or rhythm or the like (blocks 19A, 19B, 19C...19n).

[0037] In particular, each generated track is catalogued with a complete set of metadata including title, genre, mood, International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), descriptive prompt, cover file, if any, and the like.

[0038] An example of cataloging a piece generated as described above is as follows: Genre: Latin Mood: Relaxed Title: Tranquil Bossa Nova ISRC: IT2HQ24138887 Prompt: Latin instrumental music with soft guitar and soft percussion, which generates a relaxing atmosphere of Bossa Nova at 80bpm (beats per minute), in A minor; Cover file: IT2HQ24138887.jpg

[0039] The musical tracks thus catalogued are renamed with the unique ISRC code of the track (for example, IT2HQ24138887.wav) and allocated to the library 18 and then transferred to an FTP server (block 20) in which the uploaded tracks are associated with the respective metadata, i.e. the data that accompanies the recording and the work contained therein of various kinds and are added gradually at each stage of the process, starting with the title, up to the unique ISRC identification code, passing through mood and genre).

[0040] Once this association has been completed, the generated musical tracks can be distributed and transmitted (streaming step) by means of a dedicated application loaded on the hardware medium 12 defined by a tablet or mobile phone of the smartphone or computer type or the like. Through the same application, the user will be able to create programs of musical tracks (or "playlists") based on the specific needs that may be disseminated within a commercial operation 22 through traditional means of dissemination 24 and with said programs of musical tracks that may be disseminated in accordance with times and durations chosen according to specific needs.

[0041] In addition, the method of the invention allows advertising interludes to be inserted into the musical programming through the generation of promotional messages both by the company's marketing consultants and directly on the platform by customers, in written form and which will be translated into audio and automatically set to music by the platform through systems based on the use of artificial intelligence.

[0042] Furthermore, as an additional feature, the method of the invention includes the use of a platform that, through an algorithm, will be able to quantify the economic value of an advertising slot on the platform created in agreement, based on parameters such as time, month and day, etc.; each business on the platform will have the opportunity to access its own reserved area to buy or sell advertising slots, including them in the in-store radio programming of other companies and businesses participating in the service.

[0043] As can be seen from above, the advantages of the method for the generation of musical tracks of the present invention are obvious.

[0044] The method for the generation of musical tracks of the present invention advantageously allows to generate musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms and the like in a completely "free" manner, i.e. without the need to pay copyright licenses.

[0045] A further advantage of the method of the invention is represented by the fact that it allows to considerably reduce the operating costs related to the dissemination of music in commercial spaces and the like, defining an alternative to traditional music libraries characterized by higher costs.

[0046] A further advantage of the method of the invention is represented by the fact that it allows to generate personalized music and, therefore, allows to offer a personalized experience according to each specific need of the users / users.

[0047] A further advantage of the method of the invention is represented by the fact that the method of the invention uses deep learning algorithms (or "deep learning") and natural language models to interpret user requests and translate them into detailed musical specifications for an optimal generation of a musical piece.

[0048] A further advantage of the method of the invention is represented by the fact that it also allows to insert, within the musical programming, advertising spots or messages relating to commercial promotions, discounts on certain products, etc., defining the mode of dissemination within the slots.

[0049] The streaming / playback platform of the files generated with the method of the invention allows, in the commercial areas of use, to insert blocks containing messages and / or instructions on general and specific security measures into the programming.

[0050] Although the invention has been described above with particular regard to an embodiment or method of application given solely by way of non-limiting example, numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to any technician skilled in the art, in light of the above description. Therefore, this invention intends to welcome all modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and protective scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for the creation, automatic cataloguing and distribution of custom and license-free musical tracks to be disseminated, in particular, in commercial environments such as shops, restaurants, hotels, gyms and the like, characterized in that it comprises an integrated sequence of steps of: - definition, through a hardware means (12) of a plurality of musical specifications (block 13) relative to the type of tracks to be generated according to the needs of the commercial operation; - transmission of the specifications to a first algorithm (block 14) for the generation of encoded musical prompts; - processing of the musical prompts by means of a second algorithm (block 15) for the generation of a musical track (block 16) according to the above specifications; - mastering and conversion (block 17) of the musical track; - cataloguing with metadata association, including unique identifiers of the song, and allocation of the song to an organized library (18); - transfer to an FTP server (block 20); - distribution and streaming of the musical tracks taken from the FTP server within a commercial business (22) by means of a dedicated application loaded on said hardware medium (12).

2. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to claim 1, characterized in that the definition of the musical specifications is implemented by means of the hardware means (12) provided with an application or interface means, said specifications comprising characteristics such as time, tonality, modality, chord progressions or complex rhythms, stylistic indications with reference to the type of musical style to be used, said specifications may comprise indications on the structure of the musical composition, contain requests with reference to the fact that the music transmits specific emotions, moods or tells a story.

3. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first algorithm (block 14) uses artificial intelligence techniques with advanced natural language processing techniques and machine learning that operate on the musical specifications generating musical prompts encoded in accordance with specific musical rules, and with the business requirements set by the user.

4. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the second algorithm (block 15) processes the musical prompts using artificial intelligence techniques and, on the basis of these prompts, composes and produces a musical track (block 16) through generative neural networks and in compliance with the specific requests referred to in the musical prompts.

5. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the musical tracks (block 16) are mastered and converted (block 17) in accordance with the high definition standards required for distribution or for compatibility with various playback formats.

6. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to claim 5, characterized in that the mastered and converted musical tracks are catalogued and allocated to a library (block 18) in which they are organized on the basis of genre or type of emotion or rhythm or the like (blocks 19A, 19B, 19C...19n).

7. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to claim 6, characterized in that the catalogued musical tracks are renamed with a unique ISRC code of the track and allocated to the library (18) and then transferred to an FTP server (block 20) in which the uploaded tracks are associated with the respective metadata.

8. The method for the generation of musical tracks according to claim 7, characterized in that the generated musical tracks are distributed and transmitted (streaming step) by means of a dedicated application loaded on the hardware medium (12).

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