System and method for playlist generation based on similarity data

A system for the generation of a media playlist comprising:

• a plurality of program participants' client devices each having a storage media device containing a media library of individual media items;
• a program host's on-line data processing center having a storage media device configured to store data received from the plurality of program participants' client devices, and a processor in signal communication with the storage media device configured to execute at least a similarity data generation program that receives representative data from the storage media device, wherein the representative data is from a plurality of program participants' respective media inventories and comprises identification data of individual media items presently contained in the respective program participants' media libraries regardless of the individual media items'source, and wherein the representative data further comprises data representative of descriptive characteristics of at least a majority of the individual media items contained in the plurality of program participants' media libraries, wherein the similarity data generation program determines a frequency at which a pair of individual media items co-occur in the program participants' media libraries, wherein the pair comprises two media items including a seed media item selected from the media library on a program participant's client device and at least one different individual media item, and wherein the frequency is determined based on how often the pair is contained in the plurality of program participants' media libraries regardless of prior use of the pair of individual media items by the program participants, and wherein the similarity data generation program assigns a similarity between the pair of different individual media items based on the determined frequency of co-occurrence;
• and
• a communication interface configured to facilitate communication between the program participants' client devices and the program host's on-line data processing center, whereby the communication interface receives the representative data from the plurality of program participants' client devices and transmits the similarity rating data relative to the seed media item to the program participant's client device.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code for deriving similarity relationships between media items for an individual program participant based at least in part on media library inventory information provided by a plurality of other program participants, the computer program code causing a media playlist generation system to:

• receive, from an individual program participant, data representative of the individual program participant's media inventory and which comprises identification data of individual media items presently contained in the individual program participant's media library regardless of the individual media items' source;
• receive, from a plurality of other program participants, data representative of each respective other program participant's media inventory and which comprises identification data of individual media items presently contained in each respective other program participant's media library regardless of the individual media items' source, and further comprises data representative of descriptive characteristics of at least a majority of the individual media items contained in the other program participants' media libraries;
• determine a frequency at which a pair of individual media items co-occur in a population of other program participants' media libraries, wherein the pair comprises two media items including a seed media item selected from the individual program participant's media library and at least one of a plurality of different individual media items presently contained in the population of other program participants' media libraries, and wherein the frequency is determined based on how often the pair is contained in the population of other program participants' media libraries regardless of prior use of the pair of individual media items by the other program participants;
• assign a similarity rating between the pair of different individual media items based on the determined frequency of co-occurrence;
• compile similarity ratings between co-occurring pairs of at least a majority of the individual media items contained in the media libraries of the population of other program participants;
• compile, for the individual program participant, similarity rating data for at least a majority of the individual media items contained in the individual program participant's media library, wherein the similarity rating data includes the similarity rating;
• and
• transmit, to the individual program participant, the similarity rating data compiled for the individual program participant, to thereby allow a media playlist comprising one or more different individual media items presently contained in the individual program participant's media library to be generated based on the similarity rating relative to the seed media item.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having program code which when executed by the data processing system causes the data processing system to perform a method for generating a media playlist based at least in part on media library inventory information provided by a plurality of program participants, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a program participant's client device at a program host's on-line data processing center, data representative of media inventory in a media library on the client device and which comprises identification data of individual media items presently contained in the media library on the client device;
• receiving, from a plurality of other program participants at the program host's on-line data processing center, data representative of each respective other program participant's media inventory and which comprises identification data of individual media items presently contained in each respective other program participant's media library regardless of the individual media items' source, and further comprises data representative of descriptive characteristics of at least a majority of the individual media items contained in the other program participants' media libraries;
• determining a frequency at which a pair of individual media items co-occur in the other program participants' media libraries, wherein the pair comprises two media items including a seed media item selected from the media library on the client device and at least one different individual media item, and wherein the frequency is determined based on how often the pair is contained in the other program participants' media libraries regardless of prior use of the pair of individual media items by the other program participants;
• assigning a similarity rating between the pair of different individual media items based on the determined frequency of co-occurrence;
• and
• transmitting, from the program host's on-line data processing center to the program participant's client device, the similarity rating relative to the seed media item, to thereby allow a media playlist comprising one or more different individual media items presently contained in the media library on the client device to be generated based on the similarity rating relative to the seed media item.