Online playback system with community bias

Abstract

A method for entertaining individuals according to a community having similar tastes. Information derived from user accounts form the basis of a community and collateral preferences allow other subscribing individuals to enjoy the benefit of wider-ranging tastes according to the preferences expressed by the other members of the community. Additionally, assuming that individuals sharing one preference in common may be likely to share others, the present method allows those who choose to listen to the “fan station” the ability to enjoy similar music or other data streams according to preferences expressed by the fan community as a whole.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
   
   
       7 . A method comprising:
 determining a member community, members of the community are determined to have at least one data stream content preference in common; and   defining a different individual data stream for each user of a plurality of users, said defining comprising, for each individual data stream, selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with data stream content preferences of the determined member community.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , said determining a member community further comprising:
 determining the members of the community by flltering data stream content preferences of a user base comprising users that have associated data stream content preferences.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , such that the content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings, each rating being associated with a user of the user base and a data stream element, said filtering data stream preferences to determine the members of the community further comprising:
 filtering the user base using the ratings and a user base filtering threshold to determine the member community, the members of the member community being users of the user base determined to have a common data stream element that has an associated rating for each determined user that satisfies the user base filtering threshold.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7 , such that content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings, each rating being associated with a user of a user base and a data stream element, the method further comprising:
 determining a set of data stream elements of the plurality by filtering the plurality of data streams using the ratings associated with users of the user base determined to be members of the member community and a content filtering threshold, each data stream element of the determined set having an associated member user rating that satisfies the content filtering threshold,   such that said selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream selecting content from the set of data stream elements for inclusion in the individual data stream.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 7 , such that content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings of a plurality of artists, each artist being associated at least one data stream element of the plurality of data stream elements and each rating being associated with an artist and a user of a user base, the method further comprising:
 determining a set of artists of the plurality of artists by filtering the plurality of artists using the artist ratings associated with the users of the user base determined to be members of the member community and a content filter threshold, each artist of the determined set having an associated member user rating that satisfies the content filtering threshold; and   determining a set of data stream elements of the plurality of data stream elements, each of the data stream elements of the set of data stream elements being associated with an artist of the determined set of artists,   such that said selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream selecting content from the set of data stream elements for inclusion in the individual data stream.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , such that a user of the plurality has associated data stream content preferences, for the user, said selecting content for inclusion in an individual data stream further comprising:
 selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with data stream content preferences of the determined member community and the user's associated data stream content preferences.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 repeating said determining a member community and defining a different individual data stream for each user of a plurality of users to reflect changes in data stream content preferences of a user base from which the member community is determined.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 7 , said selecting content for inclusion in an individual data stream further comprising:
 selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with sound recording performance restrictions.   
   
   
       15 . A system comprising:
 at least one server configured for:
 determining a member community, members of the community are determined to have at least one data stream content preference in common, and 
 defining a different individual data stream for each user of a plurality of users, said defining comprising, for each individual data stream, selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with data stream content preferences of the determined member community. 
   
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , said at least one server configured for determining a member community further configured for:
 determining the members of the community by filtering data stream content preferences of a user base comprising users that have associated data stream content preferences.   
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , such that the content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings, each rating being associated with a user of the user base and a data stream element, said at least one server configured for filtering data stream preferences to determine the members of the community further configured for:
 filtering the user base using the ratings and a user base filtering threshold to determine the member community, the members of the member community being users of the user base determined to have a common data stream element that has an associated rating for each determined user that satisfies the user base Filtering threshold.   
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 15 , such that content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings, each rating being associated with a user of a user base and a data stream element, said at least one server further configured for:
 determining a set of data stream elements of the plurality by filtering the plurality of data streams using the ratings associated with users of the user base determined to be members of the member community and a content filtering threshold, each data stream element of the determined set having an associated member user rating that satisfies the content filtering threshold,   such that said selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream selecting content from the set of data stream elements for inclusion in the individual data stream.   
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 15 , such that content selected for inclusion in the individual data stream comprises at least one data stream element of a plurality of data stream elements, the plurality of data stream elements having associated data stream content preferences including ratings of a plurality of artists, each artist being associated at least one data stream element of the plurality of data stream elements and each rating being associated with an artist and a user of a user base, said at least one server further configured for:
 determining a set of artists of the plurality of artists by filtering the plurality of artists using the artist ratings associated with the users of the user base determined to be members of the member community and a content filter threshold each artist of the determined set having an associated member user rating that satisfies the content filtering threshold, and   determining a set of data stream elements of the plurality of data stream elements, each of the data stream elements of the set of data stream elements being associated with an artist of the determined set of artists,   such that said selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream selecting content from the set of data stream elements for inclusion in the individual data stream.   
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 15 , such that a user of the plurality has associated data stream content preferences, for the user, said at least one server configured for selecting content for inclusion in an individual data stream further configured for:
 selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with data stream content preferences of the determined member community and the user's associated data stream content preferences.   
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 15 , said at least one server further configured for:
 repeating said determining a member community and defining a different individual data stream for each user of a plurality of users to reflect changes in data stream content preferences of a user base from which the member community is determined.   
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 15 , said at least one server configured for selecting content for inclusion in an individual data stream further configured for:
 selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with sound recording performance restrictions.   
   
   
       23 . A system comprising:
 a server that executes program code to provide:
 a ratings system maintaining data stream content preferences comprising ratings that include at least one of a plurality of data stream element ratings and artist ratings, each rating associated with a user of a user base; 
 a member community determiner, members of the community are determined to have at least one rating in common; 
 an individual data stream definer, said definer defining a different individual data stream for each of a plurality of users of the user base, for each individual data steam, said definer selecting content for inclusion in the individual data stream in accordance with the ratings of said members of the community maintained by said ratings system. 
   
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 23 , the rating comprising an artist rating, each member of the member community rating the artist at least equal to a user base filtering threshold. 
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 23 , the rating comprising data stream element rating, each member of the member community rating the data stream element at least equal to a user base filtering threshold.