Method and apparatus for facilitating group musical interaction over a network

A method for achieving collaboration on a task by a plurality of users connected by a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) outputting a stream of data representing the collaboration to each user;
• (b) allowing each user to modify the data of the data stream as that data are output to that user;
• and
• (c) while the stream of data is being output to each of the users and while one of the users is modifying the stream of data being output to that user, automatically and continually transmitting data modifications made by that one of the users to another user over the network.

A system for achieving musical collaboration by a plurality of users connected by a network, comprising:

• a plurality of computers connected by a network, each computer being operated by one of the users and including:
• an output system playing a stream of musical data representing the musical collaboration to a user of that computer,
• an input system by which the user of that computer modifies the musical data as the output system plays that musical data, and
• a transmitter automatically and continually transmitting the musical data modifications to another computer over the network while the musical data are being played to the user and while the user is modifying the musical data being played.

A method for achieving musical collaboration by a plurality of users connected by a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) playing a stream of musical data representing the musical collaboration to each user;
• (b) staggering said playing of the musical data streams to any two users by a temporal offset that exceeds the maximum time required to transmit musical data modifications from one user to another user over the network, such that each user is located at a different time in the musical collaboration than every other user;
• (c) allowing each user to modify the musical data of the musical data stream as those musical data are played to that user;
• and
• (d) transmitting musical data modifications made by one of the users to another user over the network.

A method for achieving musical collaboration by a plurality of users connected by a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• playing a stream of musical data representing the musical collaboration to each user;
• dividing each musical data stream into a sequence of temporally ordered musical data segments that are each equal in temporal length as every other musical data segment in the musical data stream;
• staggering said playing of the musical data streams such that each user is located at a different time in the musical collaboration than every other user;
• allowing each user to modify the musical data of the musical data stream as those musical data are played to that user;
• and
• transmitting musical data modifications made by one of the users to another user over the network.

A system for achieving musical collaboration by a plurality of users connected by a network, comprising:

• a plurality of computers connected by a network, each computer including:
• an output system playing a stream of musical data representing the musical collaboration to a user of that computer,
• an input system by which the user of that computer modifies the musical data as the output system plays that musical data, and
• a transmitter transmitting the musical data modifications to another computer over the network, wherein
• the computers stagger the playing of the musical data streams by a temporal offset that exceeds the maximum time required to transmit musical data from one user to another user over the network such that each computer plays musical data located at a different time in the musical collaboration than every other computer.

A system for achieving musical collaboration by a plurality of users connected by a network, comprising:

• a plurality of computers connected by a network, each computer including:
• an out put system playing a stream of musical data representing the musical collaboration to a user of that computer,
• a divider subdividing the respective musical data stream into a sequence of temporally ordered musical data segments that are equal in temporal length to every other musical data segment in the musical data stream,
• an input system by which the user of that computer modifies the musical data as the output system plays that musical data, and
• a transmitter transmitting the musical data modifications to another computer over the network, wherein
• the computers stagger the playing of the musical data streams such that each computer plays musical data located at a different time in the musical collaboration than every other computer.