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YMUSIC SEARCH ENGINE
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HOW THE YMUSIC DATABASE CAN BE EXPLOITED IN EFFICIENT WAYS
The technical documentation of YMusic published online and tool tips in the YMusic search engine itself help users to get the most out of the search engine interface, in which algorithms analyze the content of the database associated to the search engine.
However, the database itself requires a brief introduction. To explain how it can be used in an effective manner, we may ask three questions and answer to them.
1. Can I listen to the pieces of music listed in the YMusic's database?
Yes. On one hand, YMusic's algorithms can analyze the content of all the database from different viewpoints, depending on the choices made by users, who may focus on various musical criteria to lead each search. On the other hand, links towards video and music streaming services are given for numerous pieces, so that listeners can establish relationships between the sounds they hear and the data they find in the results provided by YMusic’s search algorithms.
2. What are some characteristics of the music listed in the YMusic’s database?
A title of the database can be:
* The original version of a piece of music, which corresponds to a score written by a specific composer, this score being performed in a way that is totally or largely faithful to its original content. This is the case for many titles of the database that are said to be classical (baroque, romantic, contemporary, etc.). In that case, simply, the title is indicated, without any other specific mention.
Example of original version: "Theodora, I know thy Virtues", composed by Georg Friedrich Händel (I.D. 11731, in the database)
* A reduction, most of the time a piano reduction of a piece of classical music, be its original fully orchestral or written for an ensemble. This concerns a significant percentage of titles. In that case, the piece is clearly identified as "piano version" or "piano cover" in its title and the links towards online music services point to a reduction too. These links are thus faithful. In consequence, the results provided by YMusic and the reflection of the user cannot be biased.
Example of reduction: "Op. 98, Suite in A Major, American Suite (Piano Version)", composed by Antonín Dvořák (I.D. 11578)
* A karaoke version, identified as "karaoke version" in the database. The presence of karaokes is recurrent in the database for popular songs, which originally include a melodic part performed by a voice. In the case of a karaoke, the melodic part is no more performed by the voice of a performer, but by an instrument that is dominant in the original piece of music. It is the same for many original popular titles analyzed by the YMusic search engine's algorithms, but karaokes present other specific characteristics, especially at the level of the instrumentation, which is most of the time simplified, modified (notably during the introduction) or both.
Example of karaoke version: "Caribbean Blue (Karaoke Version)", composed by Enya (I.D. 11926)
It may happen that the content of a karaoke file is, if not totally, essentially similar to the original version of the song (the instrumentation may vary, but the content of the piece analyzed by YMusic is close enough to what the ear picks up when the user listens to the corresponding version of the piece published online. In that case, the piece of music contained in the database is identified as an original song, without any specific mention and with online links towards the original version of the piece of music.
At the contrary, in a certain number of cases, the content of the karaoke is disparate from a well-known version of the piece, notably in genres with a strong emphasis on improvisation (jazz for instance), but when links towards online music services are provided, they point to online karaokes whose content is totally or highly similar to the related pieces of music present in YMusic's database. Again, the analytics provided by YMusic and the user's listening work can match.
Let us notice that this great variety in karaokes can explain why a high number of titles present in the database do not provide users with online links: alas it is not always possible, on the internet, to find a karaoke version which corresponds to the karaoke version analyzed by YMusic, mainly due to time limitations and to online recommendation tools' restrictions.
* A backing track (identified as "backing track"). That type of title, less numerous, includes most of the musical content of the piece of music, but not the voice and/or the main instrument. Again, we repeat it because it concerns the quality of the results provided by YMusic: we only provided online links for pieces whose musical content really matches the musical content included in our database.
Example of backing track: "Jar of Hearts (Backing Track)", composed by Christina Perri (I.D. 11766)
* An instrumental version (identified as "instrumental", "instrumental version" or "instrumental cover"). It concerns popular genres too and it is generally faithful to the related original score, unless for the voice part, which is, in that case, totally absent of the music track.
Example of instrumental version: "Southern Hospitality (Instrumental Cover)", composed by Pharrell Williams (I.D. 11662)
* An extract (identified as "extract"), thus an incomplete title; or a sample (identified as "sample"), thus several chords as well as a melody. In both cases, no online link is provided.
Example of extract: "Neon (Extract)", composed by John Mayer (I.D. 11708)
* A cover of a well-known piece of music (identified as "cover", "cover version", "[specific instrument] version").
As YMusic is not a streaming service and as its target is not to compete with million songs catalogues, but to provide the best user experience in the field of music understanding technologies, its database does not include duplicate entries of the same piece of music. Or the duplicate entry escaped to our vigilance. In that case, a user who would find a doublon would do the community a great service by reporting it.
At the contrary, sometimes, the database includes different versions of the same piece of music, generally a standard which inspired numerous artists through time. These versions may present an interest, be it for composers, producers or performers.
Examples of covers: both "Scarborough Fair" performed by Simon and Garfunkel (I.D. 2476) and "Scarborough Fair (Jazz Version)" played by jazz performers are covers of the well-known traditional piece of music.
To complete this presentation, we inform the user that, for popular music, the introduction contained in a piece of music published online can be absent from the corresponding music file analyzed by YMusic. For such pieces, we included online links only when the length of the missing part (which is often a basic melody or a « false start » consisting in spoken words or sound effects) does not exceed 30 seconds.
For these pieces, when it is necessary, we provide, in YouTube, an online link without the introduction. Online links provided in YMusic are those of YouTube and Spotify. The first service makes it possible to give a precise timing for each link, which contributes to provide a more relevant analysis. And as one may see, when it comes to online links, it is always about providing the best match between the content of the file analyzed by YMusic and the music that can be found online.
3. What can I do if I find an online link for a piece of the YMusic’s database which has none?
Despite our vigilance, a piece for which we found links could see these links disappear, due to video and music streaming services’ rules.
Regarding YouTube, we chose to use links auto-generated by YouTube’s algorithms when it was possible, but it was not always possible (when the piece of music was not part of an album, published by a label or by an independent artist). Therefore, a certain number of links are courtesy of YouTube users (for music which was recorded during a local event or at home by an amateur musician for instance). These users can close their accounts and the YouTube system deactivates accounts which are not exploited by their users at least twice a year. In that case, of course, all the pieces of music uploaded by these users disappears.
On this matter, Spotify is more stable, because customers who want to upload music are generally music industry professionals who have strong motivations to keep their music online. Nevertheless, for unknown reasons, links which were once accessible may be blocked.
For these reasons, if, for a specific piece, YMusic’s users find no link in the YMusic’s database, but see an online link which is supposed to be relevant, they must feel free to contact us and we will check if the link corresponds to the content of the music file analyzed by YMusic. In that last case, we will add it and the community will be able to recover an additional link. Idem if they want to add other missing data (the name of a performer for instance).
Being now aware of the different sorts of the music contained in the database beyond genres and forms, and knowing that our database provides excellent matches between the music files analyzed in YMusic and online links towards the corresponding pieces of music, musicians and music lovers who want to know more about the content of any music can lead their analytical work in a secure way, being reassured about the fact that, whatever the first appearance of the YMusic's database content is, the data provided by the YMusic search engine are closely related to what users can listen online.
The YMusic database is here to support you in your work as a music content researcher. It currently includes: 5000+ composers, 3000+ performers, 39 000+ titles, 850+ sub-genres (styles) and 25 genres. It implies that, for each piece of music, one may find the title of a piece of music and/or the name of its composer, as well as the name of its performer, its genre and sub-genre, and its year of composition. Often, all these data are available for each title.
MORE INFORMATION RELATED TO THE YMUSIC DATABASE AND HOW TO OPTIMIZE ITS USE