J. Stephen Downie

Bio: J. Stephen Downie is an academic researcher from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The author has contributed to research in topics: Music information retrieval & Digital library. The author has an hindex of 30, co-authored 164 publications receiving 4135 citations. Previous affiliations of J. Stephen Downie include University of Western Ontario & National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Ten years of ismir: Reflections on challenges and opportunities

Abstract: The International Symposium on Music Information Retrieval (ISMIR) was born on 13 August 1999. This paper expresses the opinions of three of ISMIR’s founders as they reflect upon what has happened during its first decade. The paper provides the background context for the events that led to the establishment of ISMIR. We highlight the first ISMIR, held in Plymouth, MA in October of 2000, and use it to elucidate key trends that have influenced subsequent ISMIRs. Indicators of growth and success drawn from ISMIR publication data are presented. The role that the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange (MIREX) has played at ISMIR is examined. The factors contributing to ISMIR's growth and success are also enumerated. The paper concludes with a set of challenges and opportunities that the newly formed International Society for Music Information Retrieval should embrace to ensure the future vitality of the conference series and the ISMIR community.

Everyday life music information-seeking behaviour of young adults

Abstract: This poster presents the preliminary results of an ongoing qualitative study on the everyday-life music informationseeking behaviour of young adults. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed following a grounded theory approach. The analysis showed a strong penchant for informal channels (e.g., friends, relative) and, conversely, a distrust of experts. It also emerged that music seeking was mostly motivated by curiosity rather than by actual information needs, which in turn explains why browsing is such a popular strategy.

Challenges in cross-cultural/multilingual music information seeking

Abstract: Understanding and meeting the needs of a broad range of music users across different cultures and languages are central in designing a global music digital library. This exploratory study examines cross-cultural/multilingual music information seeking behaviors and reveals some important characteristics of these behaviors by analyzing 107 authentic music information queries from a Korean knowledge search portal Naver 지식 (knowledge) iN and 150 queries from Google Answers website. We conclude that new sets of access points must be developed to accommodate music queries that cross cultural or language boundaries.

Toward the Scientific Evaluation of Music Information Retrieval Systems

Abstract: This paper outlines the findings-to-date of a project to assist in the efforts being made to establish a TREC-like evaluation paradigm within the Music Information Retrieval (MIR) research community. The findings and recommendations are based upon expert opinion garnered from members of the Information Retrieval (IR), Music Digital Library (MDL) and MIR communities with regard to the construction and implementation of scientifically valid evaluation frameworks. Proposed recommendations include the creation of data-rich query records that are both grounded in real-world requirements and neutral with respect to retrieval technique(s) being examined; adoption, and subsequent validation, of a “reasonable person” approach to “relevance” assessment; and, the development of a secure, yet accessible, research environment that allows researchers to remotely access the large-scale testbed collection.

Mining music reviews: promising preliminary results

Abstract: In this paper we present a system for the automatic mining of information from music reviews. We demonstrate a system which has the ability to automatically classify reviews according to the genre of the music reviewed and to predict the simple one-to-five star rating assigned to the music by the reviewer. This experiment is the first step in the development of a system to automatically mine arbitrary bodies of text, such as weblogs (blogs) for musically relevant information.

Content-based multimedia information retrieval: State of the art and challenges

Abstract: Extending beyond the boundaries of science, art, and culture, content-based multimedia information retrieval provides new paradigms and methods for searching through the myriad variety of media all over the world. This survey reviews 100p recent articles on content-based multimedia information retrieval and discusses their role in current research directions which include browsing and search paradigms, user studies, affective computing, learning, semantic queries, new features and media types, high performance indexing, and evaluation techniques. Based on the current state of the art, we discuss the major challenges for the future.

Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs and Behavior

Abstract: Abbreviated Contents Figures and Tables Preface Introduction and Examples Concepts Relevant to Information Behavior Models, Paradigms, and Theories in the Study of Information Behavior Methods for Studying Information Behavior Research Results and Reflections Appendix: Glossary Appendix: Questions for Discussion and Application References Index

Invisible colleges : diffusion of knowledge in scientific communities

Abstract: No wonder you activities are, reading will be always needed. It is not only to fulfil the duties that you need to finish in deadline time. Reading will encourage your mind and thoughts. Of course, reading will greatly develop your experiences about everything. Reading invisible colleges diffusion of knowledge in scientific communities is also a way as one of the collective books that gives many advantages. The advantages are not only for you, but for the other peoples with those meaningful benefits.

Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation

Abstract: A theory of expectations is used to explain how music evokes various emotions for readers interested in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology as well as music. The psychological theory of expectation that David Huron proposes in "Sweet Anticipation" grew out of experimental efforts to understand how music evokes emotions. These efforts evolved into a general theory of expectation that will prove informative to readers interested in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology as well as those interested in music. The book describes a set of psychological mechanisms and illustrates how these mechanisms work in the case of music. All examples of notated music can be heard on the Web. Huron proposes that emotions evoked by expectation involve five functionally distinct response systems: reactive responses (which engage defensive reflexes); tension responses (where uncertainty leads to stress); predictive responses (which reward accurate prediction); imaginative responses (which facilitate deferred gratification); and appraisal responses (which occur after conscious thought is engaged). For real-world events, these five response systems typically produce a complex mixture of feelings. The book identifies some of the aesthetic possibilities afforded by expectation, and shows how common musical devices (such as syncopation, cadence, meter, tonality, and climax) exploit the psychological opportunities. The theory also provides new insights into the physiological psychology of awe, laughter, and "spine-tingling chills." Huron traces the psychology of expectations from the patterns of the physical/cultural world through imperfectly learned heuristics used to predict that world to the phenomenal qualia experienced by those who apprehend the world.