Probabilistic Audio Networks

A media playback system for playing back media tracks from among a set of accessible media tracks, the media playback system comprising a processor configured to:

• recognize a current media track from among the set of media tracks;
• access a first plurality of non-zero selection probabilities, each of the first plurality of selection probabilities associated with a corresponding one of a first plurality of media tracks from among the set of media tracks and determining a probability that the corresponding one of the first plurality of media tracks will be selected as a first new media track;
• and
• select the first new media track from among the first plurality of media tracks in accordance with the first plurality of selection probabilities;
• wherein each of the first plurality of selection probabilities depends, at least in part, on a relative similarity between one or more properties of the current media track and one or more properties of an individual one of the first plurality of media tracks with which the first selection probability is associated.

A system for media playback comprising:

• data storage for holding a set of media tracks;
• a media content analyzer for analyzing the media tracks and determining, for each media track, four or more of the following properties:
• temporal length of the media track;
• one or more rhythmic properties of the media track;
• one or more timbral properties of the media track;
• one or more spectral properties of the media track;
• a bit rate of the media track;
• an encoding format of the media track;
• a playback counter associated with the media track;
• and a last played time stamp associated with the media track;
• one or more artists involved in creating the media track;
• an album on which the media track was released;
• one or more genres into which the media track may be categorized;
• a title of the media track;
• one or more dates associated with the media track;
• one or more rankings of the media track on one or more corresponding music lists;
• and membership of the media track on one or more music lists;
• a probability assessor for determining a probability of a transition from each media track to each of the other media tracks in the set based, at least in part, on the properties determined by the media content analyzer;
• a playlist generator for selecting a sequence of media tracks based at least in part on the probabilities determined by the probability assessor.