Abstract: A method for personalizing media content for a user is provided. The method includes, at an electronic device, streaming a first media item from a first set of media items, the first set of media items compiled using a first recommendation hypothesis. The method further includes, while streaming the first media item, in response to a first user request, selecting, without user intervention, a second set of media items, distinct from the first set of media items, including determining a presentation order of a plurality of sets of media items using a heuristic applied to the plurality of sets of media items. The second set of media items is compiled using a second recommendation hypothesis, wherein the second recommendation hypothesis is distinct from the first recommendation hypothesis. The method includes streaming a second media item from the second set of media items.

Abstract: A method is performed at a server system having one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors. The server system provides a content service. The method includes providing a first media item for playback based on a request from an application executing on an electronic device. The method includes receiving data associated with a behavior of a first user of the content service. The data associated with the behavior of the first user includes an indication of at least a first user input for controlling the playback of the first media item. The method includes using the received data to provide a media recommendation to the electronic device.

Abstract: A server performs a method of controlling the manipulation of a playlist that includes a queue of media items to be played. The method includes authorizing a first electronic device to control the manipulation of the playlist and generating the playlist based on a set of media preferences associated with the first electronic device. The method further includes, after authorizing a second electronic device to manipulate the playlist, receiving, from the second electronic device, a request to update an order of media items in the playlist and generating an updated order of media items in the playlist in response to receiving the request from the second electronic device.

Abstract: A source device being associated with an account uses playback of a media content item to cause a target device to become associated with the account. The target device enters an association mode and records a portion of the playing content. The target device provides the recording to a server that identifies the song (e.g., using a music fingerprint service) and uses the identification of the song to find the account that caused playback of the identified song. With the account identified, the server provides credentials of the account to target system. The target device accesses content or services using the account. As confirmation of receiving the credentials, the server causes playback of the content to transition to from the source device to the target device.

Abstract: Utterance-based user interfaces can include activation trigger processing techniques for detecting activation triggers and causing execution of certain commands associated with particular command pattern activation triggers without waiting for output from a separate speech processing engine. The activation trigger processing techniques can also detect speech analysis patterns and selectively activate a speech processing engine.

Abstract: A computer server system associates one or more media items with a first segment of a first media item, the one or more media items selected based on current location information of a media device. The computer server system receives, from a media device, a request for a media item associated with the first media item, wherein the request includes a media segment identifier for the first segment of the first media item. In response to the request, the computer server system identifies the one or more media items associated with the first segment and provides the one or more media items to the media device.

Abstract: A server system stores a list of trusted users that are authorized to access a first electronic device's shared listening sessions. While the first electronic device is hosting a shared listening session playing back media on a second electronic device, the server system receives, from a third electronic device, a request that includes an identifier of the second electronic device. In response to the first request and in accordance with a determination that the third electronic device is associated with a user that is on the list of trusted users, the server system automatically transmits, to the third electronic device, a session identifier for the first shared listening session. The server system receives, from the third electronic device, a request to join the shared listening session, in response to the second request, provides, to the third electronic device, access to control media playback of the first listening session.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for training and testing utterance based frameworks are disclosed. The training and testing can be conducting using synthetic utterance samples in addition to natural utterance samples. The synthetic utterance samples can be generated based on a vector space representation of natural utterances. In one method, a synthetic weight vector associated with a vector space is generated. An average representation of the vector space is added to the synthetic weight vector to form a synthetic feature vector. The synthetic feature vector is used to generate a synthetic voice sample. The synthetic voice sample is provided to the utterance-based framework as at least one of a testing or training sample.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns the provision of media, and more particularly streaming of media. In particular, one aspect herein relates to a method performed by a server system of streaming an audio content item to an electronic device. In response to receiving a request message from the electronic device, a selected audio content item is retrieved. A second storage is browsed utilizing to locate non-static media content item(s) associated with the selected audi content item. In response to finding a non-static media content item associated with the selected audio content item, the selected audio content item is sent along with the located non-static media content item to the electronic device for simultaneous presentation of the audio content item and the located non static media content item.

Abstract: A computer extracts a vocal portion from a first audio content item and determines a first representative vector that corresponds to a vocal style of the first audio content item by applying a variational autoencoder (VAE) to the extracted vocal portion of the representation of the audio content item. The computer streams, to an electronic device, a second audio content item, selected from a plurality of audio content items, that has a second representative vector that corresponds to a vocal style of the second audio content item, wherein the second representative vector that corresponds the vocal style of the second audio content item meets similarity criteria with respect to the first representative vector that corresponds to the vocal style of the first audio content item.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for augmenting a group of media content items by forming a graph including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, where each node represents a segue option at a position in the graph and each edge represents a connection between a first node in the graph at a first position and a second node in the graph at a second position and finding a path in the graph.

Abstract: A method includes retrieving a plurality of transcripts from a database. Each transcript in the plurality of transcripts corresponds to audio from a media content item of a plurality of media content items that are provided by a media providing service. The method also includes applying each transcript of the plurality of transcripts to a trained computational model, and receiving a user request for information regarding a topic. The method further includes, in response to the user request, identifying a transcript from the database that is relevant to the topic, and a position within the transcript that is relevant to the topic. The method also includes providing, by the media providing service, at least a portion of a media content item corresponding to the identified transcript, beginning at a starting position that is based on the position within the identified transcript that is relevant to the topic.

Abstract: Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for building customized media programs for a specified duration are provided. An example media-playback device for generating customized media programs for a route to a specified duration includes a user preferences engine to determine a user's listening preferences, a duration engine to determine a duration of the route, and a duration-based media program engine for building a playlist of news and entertainment media content based on the duration of the route and the preferences of the user.

Abstract: An electronic device generates a respective user queue for each user of a plurality of users participating in a shared listening session. While providing a first media content item for playback, the device receives a second request, from a first user, to add a second media content item to the shared playback queue and updates the respective user queue for the first user. After receiving the second request, the electronic device receives a third request, from a second user, to add a third media content item to the shared playback queue and updates the respective user queue for the second user. The electronic device updates the shared playback queue using the respective user queues of the first user and the second user, including positioning the third media content item in an order of the shared playback queue to be played back before the second media content item.

Abstract: An electronic device obtains a listening history for a media item, the listening history including retention information indicating, for each respective portion of a plurality of portions of the media item, a number of listeners who listened to the respective portion of the media item. The electronic device, using the retention information, determines a pattern indicating a reduction in the number of listeners who listened to corresponding portions of the media item and determines a start time and an end time corresponding to a first portion of the corresponding portions of the media item. In accordance with the determination that the first portion of the corresponding portions of the media item meets predefined sub-content criteria, the electronic device stores an indication that the first portion of the media item comprises first sub-content, different from primary content, embedded in the media item.

Abstract: A system for supporting a user's repetitive motion activity operates to manage cadence-based playlists identifying one or more media content items having a tempo corresponding to a user's cadence. The cadence-based playlists can be categorized by different tempi or tempo ranges that cover all likely cadences during the user's activities. A media-playback device is provided to acquire a user's cadence and retrieve a cadence-based playlist associated with a tempo or a tempo range corresponding to the cadence.

Abstract: A method for communicating a playback order for a plurality of media content items to a user device operating in an online mode, the method performed at a server system and comprising receiving an indication that the user device will enter an offline mode, generating a playback order for the plurality of media content items, and transmitting the generated playback order to the user device before the user device enters the offline mode.

Abstract: An example system for playing media content with a media playback device in a vehicle can be programmed to obtain a sound measurement indicative of a sound level associated with playback of the media content by the media playback device in the vehicle. The example system also can determine a deviation in an expected sound level based upon the sound measurement. Finally, the system can modify playback of the media content by the media playback device (110) based upon the deviation.

Abstract: An electronic device receives a first audio content item that includes a plurality of sound sources. The electronic device generates a representation of the first audio content item. The electronic device determines, from the representation of the first audio content item: a representation of an isolated sound source, and frequency data associated with the isolated sound source. Determining the representation of the isolated sound source and the frequency data associated with the isolated sound source includes using a neural network to jointly determine the representation of the isolated sound source and the frequency data associated with the isolated sound source. The electronic device determines that a portion of a second audio content item matches the first audio content item using the representation of the isolated sound source and/or the frequency data associated with the isolated sound source.

Abstract: A system, method and computer product for training a neural network system. The method comprises applying an audio signal to the neural network system, the audio signal including a vocal component and a non-vocal component. The method also comprises comparing an output of the neural network system to a target signal, and adjusting at least one parameter of the neural network system to reduce a result of the comparing, for training the neural network system to estimate one of the vocal component and the non-vocal component. In one example embodiment, the system comprises a U-Net architecture. After training, the system can estimate vocal or instrumental components of an audio signal, depending on which type of component the system is trained to estimate.