'Musical Genome' Helps Find New Favorites

[Gooch]

'Musical Genome' Helps Find New Favorites

by Scott Simon

If You Like 'Proud Mary'...

Savage Beast has some suggestions:

'Proud Mary,' Ike and Tina Turner
'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' Bruce Springsteen
'Had Me A Real Good Time,' The Faces
'Gloria,' by Patti Smith
'Sweet Maxine,' Doobie Brothers
'Movin' Out,' Billy Joel

Weekend Edition - Saturday, May 21, 2005 · Much research has been trained on mapping the genetic makeup of humans. But according to one company based in Oakland, Calif., music can have a genome too.

Savage Beast Technologies' Music Genome Project is an effort to break music down to its most elemental forms, using a computer program that evaluates each song by 400 distinct musical attributes. The goal is to create a sophisticated engine for recommending music.

So far, Savage Beast has put its technology to use only for corporate clients, designing kiosks and online promotion strategies for Best Buy, AOL and other retailers. Founder Tim Westergren talks with Scott Simon about how it works.


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