Two related characteristics exemplify the new music industry: music catalogs can run into the tens of millions of songs, and playlists are an increasingly importantmedium for enjoying these catalogs. Short of buying a music intelligence company like The Echo Nest, as Spotify did last year, you might not have the proper tool to craft playlists that take advantage of this abundance of musical content.
To help solve this problem, Gracenote has created Rhythm Curation, a platform to help curators sift through a huge catalog of songs and create better playlists. “Today, music editors don’t have tools to help them build eclectic playlists — many simply rely on the search bar,” Ty Roberts, Chief Strategy Officer and interim general manager of music for Gracenote, said in a statement.
Rhythm Curation, set for a December launch, is a web-based application targeted at professional music editors at streaming services, DJs, music supervisors, radio stations, record labels and other professionals who are, as Gracenote puts it, “non-technical musicologists.” Pricing has not been announced but will vary based on the overall pricing of the packaged product.
Gracenote is a well-known name in the music business. Originally known as CDDB, a music metadata service that allowed applications like iTunes identify tracks, Gracenote now powers music identification, audio fingerprinting and album artwork for a range of customers. The company, acquired by Sony Corporation of America in 2008 and sold last year to Tribune Co. last year, has expanded its services to video, auto and sports.
