Rules Based Playlist Generation
A playlist can be generated based on a chart or list including ranked media items, e.g. songs, videos, etc., by automatically including the highest ranked media items to the playlist, but only adding some of the lower ranked media items to the playlist. A particular lower-ranked media item can be pseudo-randomly excluded from the playlist if that media item has a ranking in a current version of the chart that is lower than its ranking in a previous version. Once the desired number of media items has been added to an intermediate list, the intermediate list can be inverted, and station identifiers can be interspersed between the media items.
1 . A method for use in a media server, the method comprising:
obtaining, from a network, a first media list of media items, the media items ranked relative to other media items included in the first media list based on a level of popularity;
building an intermediate list of media items from selected ranked media items from within the first media list, the intermediate list to contain a target number of media items, the target number less than a total number of items in the first media list, the building including:
adding to the intermediate list a predetermined number of top-ranked media items from the first media list, the predetermined number less than the target number;
selectively adding lower-ranked media items from the first media list to the intermediate list until a combined number of top-ranked and lower-ranked media items added to the intermediate list reaches the target number, each of the lower-ranked media items having a relative ranking level inferior to the relative ranking level of all of the predetermined number of top-ranked media items, wherein the selectively adding includes at least considering an exclusion of lower-ranked media items based on skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria, wherein the skewing is configured to make it more or less likely that any one particular media item will be excluded from or added to the intermediate list;
in response to the combined number of top-ranked and lower-ranked media items reaching the target number:
adding identifiers associated with the top-ranked and lower-ranked media items;
generating a first playlist based on the intermediate list;
creating a first playlist broadcast chain configured to be distributed through a communication system; and
distributing, through the communication system, the first playlist broadcast chain to one or more media users.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the first playlist further comprises:
interspersing station identifiers between top-ranked media items and lower-ranked media items included in the first playlist, wherein each of the station identifiers includes an announcement media item indicating a relative ranking of a particular media item in the first playlist.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein generating the first playlist further comprises:
inverting the first playlist to generate an inverted list, wherein each of the station identifiers includes an announcement media item indicating a relative ranking of a particular media item in the inverted list.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria includes skewing one or more of: a current ranking of the media item, an historical performance of the media item over a period of time, or a number of playlists the media item has been included in over time.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria is determined by:
determining whether a current ranking of at least one of the lower-ranked media items is different from a previous ranking of the at least one of the lower-ranked media items; and
skewing a pseudo-randomly exclusion of the at least one of the lower-ranked media items in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one of the lower-ranked media items has declined.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pseudo-random selection criteria includes declining popularity and the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria is determined by:
determining whether a current ranking of at least one lower-ranked media item is different from a previous ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item;
determining whether the at least one lower-ranked media item has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period;
excluding the at least one lower-ranked media item in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item has declined and that the at least one lower-ranked media item has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period; and
skewing a pseudo-randomly exclusion of the at least one lower-ranked media item in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item has declined and that the at least one media item has not been included in a previous playlist within a set time period.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating a first difference between a playout length of the first playlist and a target playout length;
generating a second playlist, the second playlist comprising:
top-ranked media items selected from a second media list, the top-ranked media items having a relative popularity level satisfying a threshold popularity requirement; and
lower-ranked media items pseudo-randomly added from a second version of the media list;
calculating a second difference between a playout length of the second playlist and the target playout length;
adding the first difference to the second difference to generate a combined playout length difference; and
determining, based on a comparison of the combined playout length difference to the target playout length, if a third list is to be generated.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the considering an exclusion of lower-ranked media items is based, in part, to prevent exhaustion of media items available to be selected from the first media list of media items before reaching the target number.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first playlist broadcast chain is configured to be distributed over one or more of: a broadcast system or a streaming system.
10 . A media automation system comprising:
a processor;
memory operably coupled to the processor;
the processor and the memory configured to:
obtain a first version of a first media list, the first media list indicating a relative popularity level of each one of media items in the first media list with respect to each other one of the media items therein, the relative popularity level of each one of the media items indicated by a respective popularity level indicating parameter;
add a predetermined number of first media items from the first version of the media list to an intermediate list, each of the first media items having a relative popularity level satisfying a threshold popularity requirement based at least partially upon the respective popularity level indicating parameter thereof, wherein the predetermined number is less than a target number of media items comprising the intermediate list;
selectively add second media items from the first version of the media list to the intermediate list until a combined number of first and second media items added to the intermediate list reaches the target number, each of the second media items having a relative popularity level inferior to the relative popularity level of the first media items based at least partially upon the respective popularity level indicating parameter thereof, wherein the selectively adding includes at least considering an exclusion of the second media items based, in part, on skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria, wherein the skewing is configured to make it more or less likely that any one particular song will be excluded from or added to the intermediate list;
add identifiers associated with the first and second media items; and
generate a first playlist based on the intermediate list; and
create, on a server, a first playlist broadcast chain configured to be distributed through a communication system; and
distribute, through the communication system, the first playlist broadcast chain to one or more media users.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the generate the first playlist further comprises:
interspersing station identifiers between first media items and second media items included in the first playlist, wherein each of the station identifiers includes an announcement media item indicating a relative ranking of a particular media item in the first playlist.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria includes one or more of: a current ranking of the media item, an historical performance of the media item over a period of time, or a number of playlists the media item has been included in over time.
13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria is determined by:
determining whether a current ranking of at least one lower-ranked media item is different from a previous ranking of at least one lower-ranked media item; and
skewing a pseudo-randomly exclusion of the at least one lower-ranked media item in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item has declined.
14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the selection criteria includes declining popularity and the skewing a pseudo-random selection criteria is determined by:
determining whether a current ranking of at least one lower-ranked media item is different from a previous ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item;
determining whether the at least one lower-ranked media item has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period;
excluding the at least one lower-ranked media item in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item has declined and that the at least one lower-ranked media item has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period; and
skewing a pseudo-randomly exclusion of the at least one lower-ranked media item in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one lower-ranked media item has declined and that the at least one media item has not been included in a previous playlist within a set time period.
15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the considering an exclusion of the second media items comprises:
determining whether a current ranking of at least one of the media items is different from a previous ranking of the at least one of the media items;
determining whether the at least one of the media items has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period;
excluding the at least one of the media items in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one of the media items has declined and that the at least one of the media items has been included in a previous playlist within a set time period; and
skewing a pseudo-random exclusion the at least one of the media items in response to determining that the current ranking of the at least one of the media items has declined and that the at least one of the media items has not been included in a previous playlist within a set time period.
16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:
calculate a first difference between a playout length of the first playlist and a target playout length;
generate a second playlist comprising:
third media items selected from a second version of the media list, the third media items having a relative popularity level satisfying a threshold popularity requirement; and
fourth media items pseudo-randomly added from the second version of the media list;
calculate a second difference between a playout length of the second playlist and the target playout length;
add the first difference to the second difference to generate a combined playout length difference; and
determine, based on a comparison of the combined playout length difference to the target playout length, if a third list is to be generated. 17 The system of claim 10 , wherein the considering an exclusion of the second media items is based, in part, to prevent exhaustion of media items available to be selected from the first media list before reaching the target number.
18 . A method for use in a server, the method comprising:
obtaining a first media list of media items, the media items ranked relative to other media items included in the first media list based on a level of popularity;
building an intermediate list of media items from selected ranked media items from within the first media list, the intermediate list to contain a target number of media items, the target number less than a total number of the first media list of media items, the building including:
adding to the intermediate list a predetermined number of top-ranked media items from the first media list, the predetermined number less than the target number;
selectively adding lower-ranked media items from the first media list to the intermediate list until a combined number of top-ranked and lower-ranked media items added to the intermediate list reaches the target number, each of the lower-ranked media items having a relative popularity ranking level inferior to the relative popularity ranking level of all of the predetermined number of top-ranked media items, wherein the selectively adding includes at least considering an exclusion of lower-ranked media items based on skewed pseudo-random selection criteria;
in response to the combined number of top-ranked and lower-ranked media items reaching the target number:
adding identifiers associated with the top-ranked and lower-ranked media items; and
generating a first playlist based on the intermediate list.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the skewed pseudo-random selection criteria include any of: current ranking of the media item, historical popularity of the media item, or on a number of playlists the media item has been included in.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the skewed pseudo-random selection criteria are selected based, in part, to prevent exhaustion of media items available to be selected from the first media list of media items before reaching the target number.