Exploring User-oriented Taxonomy of Online Music Databases from Music Listening Processes
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Hung, Yuan-Yuan
Abstract
A user-oriented taxonomy for online music databases is able to improve the browsing experience and trigger user''s needs. In order to ensure the integrity and application of information systems design and evaluation, a user-oriented approach is supposed to integrate both the overall context of information behavior and specific behavior in relation to the information systems. The aim of this study is to explore user’s relevant experience of categorization based on the music listening process and offer constructive suggestions for improvement of online music taxonomies. In the study design, this study extracts and analyzes elements, concepts and operations of music categorization from the music information retrieval (MIR) systems and users in order to realize the differences and relations between systems and users.o discover the current developments in taxonomies for online music databases, this study analyzes 31 online music databases collected by purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The results show that music genre, artist, language/region, and context are the most widely used facets of the online music taxonomies. An analysis of the “Top Tags” list in Last.FM system shows that the “music genre” is the most commonly used type of tags which are produced by online community members, followed by “language/country”, “mood” and “personal” types of tags. In addition, this study explores the state of current developments in online music taxonomies, including “no exactly rules in classification schemes”, “synonymous categories named differently from others”, “inconsistencies in the classification hierarchy”, “category arrangements based on marketing proposes” and “classification schemes of overseas music databases use a variety of facets to classify music collections.”o investigate users’ overall context of music listening, 31 music lovers were invited to participate in this study and provided music dairies which recorded users’ everyday musical experience for 10-30 days, in depth interview records and the list of personal digital music collections. Results indicated that the music listening process is consisted of three dimensions: music listening behavior, music seeking behavior and the organization of personal music collection. The roles of classification in the whole music listening process can be identified as methods of personal music management, music seeking aids, triggers of music listening needs and expressions of listener’s psychological activity. Besides, this study analyzes descriptors of music lovers’ music dairies and 2,397 posts of online music community in order to discover potential facets of music classification schemes. To sum up, there are two main dimensions in music classification facets of data collected: “the inherent properties of music” and “interactive attributes of music.”t the end, the comparative analysis of music classification facets and categories found that differences, similarities and relations between users’ classifications and taxonomy lays in “the linkage relations of classification facets” and “application functions of classification facets.”uggestions for taxonomies of online music databases and classifications of users’ personal music collections are proposed. Online music databases is supposed to provide “complete bibliographic descriptors of music” to support users seeking specific music items; in addition, “multiple theme-based classifications” can help users find non-specific music items and trigger potential music needs. Suggestions for organizing personal digital music collections includes “label basic bibliographic data in the digital music files”, “make the best use of music classification facets’ subdivision properties to reduce the hierarchy of classification structures”, “flexibility in the use of the temporary/other category”, “define the meanings of language/region/country classification facets”, and “choose a full-featured music organization software.” ased on the limitations and inadequate parts of the research exploring process and research findings, this empirical research study also provides 2 suggestions for further research – “research music taxonomies in a cross-discipline view” and “combine multi-approach to investigate music classification related concepts.”
Subjects
music classification
music classification scheme
music information behavior
online music database
music information retrieval (MIR) system
Type
thesis
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