The Music Genome Project uses over 400 “genetic markers” to classify songs into a taxonomy of music. It allows users to create free, personalized online radio stations on Pandora.com by finding genetically similar material in the database. The project exposes listeners to new music and creates positive exposure for artists.
The Music Genome Project is a colossal effort to classify songs using over 400 “genetic markers” which, when applied to a song and taken together, help create a sort of taxonomy of music. Genetic markers include everything from basic attributes like whether a song is acoustic or electronic, to the subtle qualities of the lead singer’s voice and all aspects of the arrangement, down to whether or not handclaps are in the mix. Dissonant harmonies, guitar effects, specific use of drums and cymbals, syncopation, orchestral music and even subtle influences become part of the song’s DNA map.
The Music Genome Project is the brainchild of Tim Westergren, a 1988 Stanford graduate. The actual song analysis work is done by a dedicated team of highly skilled technicians and musicians who reportedly spend 30 minutes analyze each song that becomes part of the music genome library. Virtually all musical genres are included in the project.
You may be wondering what purpose such an interesting project could serve. The answer is to provide music-loving web surfers with the ability to create free, personalized online radio stations that play only the music the listener likes, even when it’s music the listener has never heard before.
Just visit the music genome website, Pandora.com, and enter the name of a favorite song or artist into a search box. Server-side software uses the artist or song to find genetically similar material in the database, and the resulting playlist begins streaming to the listener. The song title and artist are displayed along with a cover image of the related single or compact disc. Player controls allow the listener to repeat a song or skip to the next song in the playlist. If the playlist doesn’t meet your needs, you can change it by changing the parameters.
Since entering a song or title necessarily limits the Music Genome Project to finding similar music, Pandora allows a user to create different radio stations to cover different types or genres of music. For example, you could create a custom radio station for rock, one for blues, and one for alternative. The user can then use the ‘QuickMix’ feature to choose which of the radio stations should be included in a ‘shuffle’ mode where the streamed radio will contain songs from each of the custom (chosen) radio stations, rather than just one.
The Music Genome Project opens up a whole new world for music lovers by exposing listeners to music they’ve never heard but are likely to enjoy. This is exciting for music lovers and artists too, as it creates positive exposure to potential new fans. Due to licensing restrictions, Pandora’s services are primarily available to visitors located in the United States.
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