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Fine-grained culture-aware music recommender systems

Fine-grained culture-aware music recommender systems

Christine Bauer (ORCID: 0000-0001-5724-1137)
  • Grant DOI 10.55776/V579
  • Funding program Elise Richter
  • Status ended
  • Start February 1, 2017
  • End January 31, 2020
  • Funding amount € 257,282
  • Project website
  • E-mail

Disciplines

Other Humanities (15%); Computer Sciences (60%); Sociology (25%)

Keywords

    Music Recommender Systems, Cultural Aspects, Personalization, Context Awareness

Abstract Final report

Having tens of millions of musical works available at a listeners fingertips requires novel recommendation and interaction techniques for music consumption. Thereby the success of a music recommender system, a system that proposes users what to explore or listen to next, depends on its ability to propose the right music, to the right user, at the right moment (i.e., in the right context). However, this task is extremely complex, as various factors influence a users music preferences. Amongst others, cultural aspects and characteristics (e.g., different requirements regarding diversity of a playlist or familiarity with its music tracks) have been shown to affect music perception, preferences, and listening behavior. Calling on this, the project entitled Fine-grained culture-aware music recommender systems investigates how music recommender systems could and should integrate cultural aspects in order to provide better recommendations. The research findings will answer the question how music recommender systems have to be designed to reflect cultural diversity and will provide insights into cross-cultural music perception, preferences, and listening behavior. Specifically, the project will investigate the cultural requirements on music recommender systems as concerns what listeners in different cultures expect with regard to the recommended music. Thereby, we postulate that different granularity levels of culture (e.g., individual, regional, national, or global level) have to be considered to improve music recommender systems. We hypothesize that the various cultural levels of different granularities have to be combined in a comprehensive way to transcend limitations of current music recommender systems. And we will investigate its impact on recommendation quality in cross-cultural studies with users from Austria, the United States, and Korea. Our scientific approach comprises four methodological orientations: (i) a combination of surveys and user panels, (ii) user modeling, (iii) designing and implementing prototypes of culture-aware music recommender systems, and (iv) cross-cultural studies with users to investigate their performance. The samples will include users from the United States, Austria, and Korea; we will focus on national culture, but also consider regional cultures (e.g., urban vs. suburban vs. countryside areas). In contrast to past research in the field of culture-aware music information retrieval and recommendation, the project follows an approach that is driven by user needs and preferences. The project aims to design and implement music recommender systems that are able to meet those requirements by considering different granularity levels of cultural aspects in a comprehensive way.

The project "Fine-grained culture-aware music recommendation system" investigated how music recommendation systems could leverage cultural. The project analyzed culture- specific differences in music preferences, for which we relied on data on listening behavior on music platforms. These findings have been incorporated into algorithmic music recommendation approaches, whereby we have shown that the inclusion of culture-specific differences leads to lower error rates in the recommendations thus, delivering better results. The projects main findings are summarized below: 1. A users music preferences can be described in terms of the degree to which they prefer music items that are currently popular (the mainstream) or rather ignore such trends; termed a users mainstreaminess. Here, mainstream may be defined globally, but also on a country-specific level; thereby, the country-specific mainstream does not necessarily correspond to the global mainstream. 2. With regard to artist popularity, the country-specific music listening behavior may deviate from the global one. In some countries, the listening behavior corresponds to the global mainstream; some countries have developed their own country-specific mainstream in addition to the global mainstream; a third group of countries shows clear deviations from the global mainstream, although a country-specific mainstream is not clearly noticeable. 3. Comparing the top charts of different countries, it is typically the same artists who are represented. For considering the country-specific nuances in defining mainstreaminess, we require approaches that downweigh popular superstars or give more weight to country- specific artists. We found approaches based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence and approaches based on Kendall`s tau being suitable. In combination with matrix factorization, the approach based on Kendall`s rank correlation coefficients is particularly successful in music recommendations experiments. 4. For low-mainstreamy users, we achieve particularly strong improvements in recommendation results (measured in the error rate) when compared to a generic approach that does not consider mainstreaminess or country. 5. First results indicate that there are differences in music preferences between urban and rural regions in conglomerations worldwide. Furthermore, countries can be grouped based on similarities in the users music listening behavior. Including such information as input for music recommendation, results can be improved. Building on this, future research may investigate the similarities in listening behavior based on, for example, sociological or economic aspects. Findings could then flow back into novel music recommendation approaches. 6. In music playlist creation in groups, users show different behavior patterns when confronted with a majority opinion. With a favored song, a single counter-opinion is enough to change a users mind and vote against the song for the playlist. In case of a disliked song, however, a majority opinion in favor of this song is required to change the user`s mind.

Research institution(s)
  • Universität Linz - 100%
International project participants
  • Lee Kyoto, Seoul National University - Republic of Korea
  • Paul Lamere, The Echo Nest - USA

Research Output

  • 230 Citations
  • 39 Publications
  • 1 Policies
  • 2 Datasets & models
  • 1 Software
  • 13 Disseminations
  • 4 Scientific Awards
  • 2 Fundings
Publications
  • 2020
    Title Listener Modeling and Context-aware Music Recommendation Based on Country Archetypes
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2009.09935
    Type Preprint
    Author Schedl M
  • 2022
    Title To Flip or Not to Flip: Conformity Effect Across Cultures
    DOI 10.1145/3491101.3519662
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Ferwerda B
    Pages 1-7
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Leveraging multi-method evaluation for multi-stakeholder settings
    Type Other
    Author Bauer C.
    Pages -
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title A cross-country investigation of user connection patterns in online social networks
    Type Other
    Author Bauer C.
    Pages 2166-2175
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Verstehen und Glauben im Johannesevangelium: Ein alternativer Übersetzungsvorschlag für Joh 5,37–40
    DOI 10.1515/znw-2019-0006
    Type Journal Article
    Author Förster H
    Journal Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
    Pages 115-126
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Cross-country User Connections in an Online Social Network for Music
    DOI 10.1145/3290607.3312831
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Pages 1-6
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title A Cross-Country Investigation of User Connection Patterns in Online Social Networks
    DOI 10.24251/hicss.2019.263
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Leveraging Multi-Method Evaluation for Multi-Stakeholder Settings
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
  • 2019
    Title Global and country-specific mainstreaminess measures: Definitions, analysis, and usage for improving personalized music recommendation systems
    DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0217389
    Type Journal Article
    Author Bauer C
    Journal PLOS ONE
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Leveraging Multi-Method Evaluation for Multi-Stakeholder Settings
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Conference 1st Workshop on the Impact of Recommender Systems (ImpactRS 2019)
    Link Publication
  • 2019
    Title Leveraging Multi-Method Evaluation for Multi-Stakeholder Settings
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2001.04348
    Type Preprint
    Author Bauer C
  • 2019
    Title Online Music Listening Culture of Kids and Adolescents: Listening Analysis and Music Recommendation Tailored to the Young
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.1912.11564
    Type Preprint
    Author Schedl M
  • 2019
    Title Global and country-specific mainstreaminess measures: Definitions, analysis, and usage for improving personalized music recommendation systems
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.1912.06933
    Type Preprint
    Author Bauer C
  • 2019
    Title Tastalyzer
    DOI 10.1145/3343031.3350585
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Pages 1044-1046
  • 2019
    Title The Potential of the Confluence of Theoretical and Algorithmic Modeling in Music Recommendation
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.1911.07328
    Type Preprint
    Author Bauer C
  • 2019
    Title Allowing for equal opportunities for artists in music recommendation
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.1911.05395
    Type Preprint
    Author Bauer C
  • 2023
    Title The Effect of Ingroup Identification on Conformity Behavior in Group Decision-Making: The Flipping Direction Matters
    Type Other
    Author Bauer C.
    Pages 2242-2251
    Link Publication
  • 2021
    Title Support the Underground: Characteristics of Beyond-Mainstream Music Listeners
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2102.12188
    Type Preprint
    Author Kowald D
  • 2021
    Title Listener Modeling and Context-Aware Music Recommendation Based on Country Archetypes
    DOI 10.3389/frai.2020.508725
    Type Journal Article
    Author Schedl M
    Journal Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence
    Pages 508725
    Link Publication
  • 2021
    Title Support the underground: characteristics of beyond-mainstream music listeners
    DOI 10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00268-9
    Type Journal Article
    Author Kowald D
    Journal EPJ Data Science
    Pages 14
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title The Effects of Real-world Events on Music Listening Behavior
    DOI 10.1145/3184558.3186936
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Schedl M
    Pages 75-76
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title An Analysis of Global and RegionalMainstreaminess for Personalized MusicRecommender Systems
    DOI 10.13052/jmm1550-4646.1415
    Type Journal Article
    Author Schedl M
    Journal Journal of Mobile Multimedia
    Pages 95-112
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title On the Importance of Considering Country-specific Aspects on the Online-Market: An Example of Music Recommendation Considering Country-Specific Mainstream
    DOI 10.24251/hicss.2018.461
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title An Open Model for Researching the Role of Culture in Online Self-Disclosure
    DOI 10.24251/hicss.2018.460
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title UMAP 2018 Intelligent User-Adapted Interfaces
    DOI 10.1145/3213586.3226202
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Celik I
    Pages 137-139
    Link Publication
  • 2020
    Title Multi-Method Evaluation
    DOI 10.1145/3343413.3378015
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Pages 472-474
    Link Publication
  • 2020
    Title An Open Model for Researching the Role of Culture in Online Self-Disclosure
    DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2003.08942
    Type Preprint
    Author Bauer C
  • 2020
    Title Conformity Behavior in Group Playlist Creation
    DOI 10.1145/3334480.3382942
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Pages 1-10
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title Investigating Cross-Country Relationship between Users' Social Ties and Music Mainstreaminess
    DOI 10.5281/zenodo.1492506
    Type Other
    Author Bauer C
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title Investigating Cross-Country Relationship between Users' Social Ties and Music Mainstreaminess
    DOI 10.5281/zenodo.1492507
    Type Other
    Author Bauer C
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title Investigating cross-country relationship between users' social ties and music mainstreamines
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Conference 19th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference (ISMIR 2018)
    Pages 678-686
    Link Publication
  • 2018
    Title An Analysis of Global and Regional Mainstreaminess for Personalized Music Recommender Systems
    DOI 10.13052/1550-4646.1415
    Type Journal Article
    Author Schedl M
    Journal Journal of Mobile Multimedia
    Link Publication
  • 2017
    Title Introducing Global and Regional Mainstreaminess for Improving Personalized Music Recommendation
    DOI 10.1145/3151848.3151849
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Schedl M
    Pages 74-81
    Link Publication
  • 2017
    Title Distance- and Rank-based Music Mainstreaminess Measurement
    DOI 10.1145/3099023.3099098
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Schedl M
    Pages 364-367
  • 2017
    Title Introducing Surprise and Opposition by Design in Recommender Systems
    DOI 10.1145/3099023.3099099
    Type Conference Proceeding Abstract
    Author Bauer C
    Pages 350-353
    Link Publication
  • 2017
    Title Der Beitrag der Informatik zur Musikwirtschaftsforschung
    DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-19399-7_6
    Type Book Chapter
    Author Bauer C
    Publisher Springer Nature
    Pages 97-116
  • 0
    DOI 10.1145/3491101
    Type Other
  • 0
    DOI 10.1145/3290607
    Type Other
  • 0
    DOI 10.1145/3334480
    Type Other
Policies
  • 2019 Link
    Title ACM Summer School on Recommender Systems 2019 (RecSys Summer School 2019)
    Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
    Link Link
Datasets & models
  • 2020 Link
    Title The dataset used in the article "Listener Modeling and Context-aware Music Recommendation Based on Country Archetypes"
    DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3907362
    Type Database/Collection of data
    Public Access
    Link Link
  • 2020 Link
    Title LFM-BeyMS
    DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3784765
    Type Database/Collection of data
    Public Access
    Link Link
Software
  • 2019 Link
    Title Tastalyzer
    Link Link
Disseminations
  • 0 Link
    Title AIxMusic Festival workshop organization
    Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title Blog at DERSTANDARD
    Type Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
    Link Link
  • 0
    Title KinderUni Linz 2018
    Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
  • 0 Link
    Title Management Committee Substitute Member, European Cooperation for Statistics of Network Data Science (COSTNET), CA COST Action CA15109
    Type A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title multhimethods.info
    Type Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title NGI Talk #3: AI and beyond
    Type A talk or presentation
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title Ö1 Radiokolleg - Maschinenmusik
    Type A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title PrivacyWeek 2019
    Type A talk or presentation
    Link Link
  • 0
    Title RotaryClub Linz
    Type A talk or presentation
  • 0 Link
    Title Service to the community
    Type A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
    Link Link
  • 0
    Title Talk at AI x Music Festival 2019 ( collocated with 2019 Ars Electronica Festival)
    Type A talk or presentation
  • 0 Link
    Title Visibility in Press and Media
    Type A magazine, newsletter or online publication
    Link Link
  • 0 Link
    Title WiMIR mentoring
    Type A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
    Link Link
Scientific Awards
  • 2019
    Title Outstanding Reviewer (Honorable Mention) (27th ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, UMAP 2019)
    Type Research prize
    Level of Recognition Continental/International
  • 2019
    Title Best Reviewer Award (13th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems, RecSys 2019)
    Type Research prize
    Level of Recognition Continental/International
  • 2018
    Title Best Reviewer - Runner-up (12th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems, RecSys 2018)
    Type Research prize
    Level of Recognition Continental/International
  • 2017
    Title Best Paper Award at MoMM 2017
    Type Research prize
    Level of Recognition Continental/International
Fundings
  • 2018
    Title ÖFG Projekt 06 / 15515
    Type Travel/small personal
    Start of Funding 2018
    Funder Austrian Research Community
  • 2019
    Title Projekt 06 / 15831
    Type Travel/small personal
    Start of Funding 2019
    Funder Austrian Research Community

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