Distributed audience measurement systems and methods

A portable device, comprising:

• a microphone;
• a communication interface to receive an activation signal and a first audio fingerprint via first wireless communication via a communications network;
• and
• a processing circuit to:
• in response to the activation signal, record audio via the microphone during a first time period corresponding to the first audio fingerprint;
• generate a second audio fingerprint representative of the recorded audio;
• deactivate the microphone at the end of the first time period corresponding to the first audio fingerprint;
• and
• determine whether the second audio fingerprint matches the first audio fingerprint, the communication interface to send an indication of whether the second audio fingerprint matches the first audio fingerprint to an audience measurement entity via a second wireless communication.

A tangible machine readable hardware storage device or storage disk comprising first machine readable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a portable device, cause the processor to at least:

• access an activation signal received via first wireless communications with a communications network, the activation signal and a first audio fingerprint being received when the portable device is not recording audio via a microphone;
• based on the activation signal, record audio using the microphone during a first time period corresponding to the first audio fingerprint;
• generate a second audio fingerprint representative of the recorded audio;
• deactivate the microphone at the end of the first time period corresponding to the first audio fingerprint;
• determine whether the second audio fingerprint matches the first audio fingerprint;
• and
• send an indication of whether the second audio fingerprint matches the first audio fingerprint to an audience measurement entity via second wireless communications with the communications network.