A machine is configured to identify a media file that, when played to a user, is likely to modify an emotional or physical state of the user to or towards a target emotional or physical state. The machine accesses play counts that quantify playbacks of media files for the user. The playbacks may be locally performed or detected by the machine from ambient sound. The machine accesses arousal scores of the media files and determines a distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores. The machine uses one or more relative maxima in the distribution in selecting a target arousal score for the user based on contextual data that describes an activity of the user. The machine selects one or more media files based on the target arousal score. The machine may then cause the selected media file to be played to the user.

A personalized news service provides personalized news programs for its users by generating personalized combinations of audible versions of news stories derived from text-based based versions of the news stories. The audible versions may be generated from the text-based version by a text-to-speech system, or may by recording a person reading aloud the text-based version. To acquire recordings, the personalized news service can make a determination that a particular news story has a threshold extent of popularity. The news service can then transmit a request to a remote recording station for a recording of a verbal reading of the particular news story. The news service can then receive the requested recording from the remote recording station.

A method for generating for a subject a personalized playlist of sounds, notably songs, using the analysis of the subject's electroencephalographic signal, the method including the following steps: receiving at least one segment of electroencephalographic signal acquired from at least one electrode while the subject is listening to at least one proposed sound; extracting at least one EEG index from the electroencephalographic signal segment so as to characterize brain patterns correlated to the emotions evoked by the music and the level of appreciation of the sound; evaluating the valence of sounds listening on the basis of the EEG index; receiving a score of appreciation on the sound from the subject; including the sound in the personalized playlist (P) of the subject whenever the valence matches a predefined valence and/or the score of appreciation is higher than a predefined threshold.

A first server controls insertion of media content into a media stream, and transmits the media stream from the first server to a media player. The first server also transmits, to a second server, information linking a particular consumer to both a third-party service and to the media player. Control of inserting media content into the media stream is passed from the first server to the second server. The second server receives consumer-specific content associated with the particular consumer from the third-party service, and maps the consumer-specific content to the media player based, at least in part, on the information linking the particular consumer to both the third-party service and to the media player. The second server then inserts the consumer-specific content into the media stream during a time period the second server is in control of inserting media content into the media stream.

A method of generating a playlist for a first user includes identifying a client device associated with the first user, determining that the first user has requested to add a second user to a set of social connections of the first user, and in response to determining that the first user has requested to add the second user to the set of social connections of the first user, updating one or more playlists associated with the first user to add a media item of the second user, and transmitting to the client device a signal that causes the client device to present at least one of the updated playlists to the first user and provide the first user with access to the media item.

A system for supporting a user's repetitive motion activity operates to manage cadence-based playlists identifying one or more media content items having a tempo corresponding to a user's cadence. The cadence-based playlists can be categorized by different tempi or tempo ranges that cover all likely cadences during the user's activities. A media-playback device is provided to acquire a user's cadence and retrieve a cadence-based playlist associated with a tempo or a tempo range corresponding to the cadence.

A server receives a request to play a selected playlist from a first electronic device associated with a host listener. The playlist includes audio items having a common attribute. The server also receives an identity of a guest listener having a second electronic device and retrieves an indication of taste of the guest listener based on the received identity. The server selects an additional audio item based at least in part on the indication of taste of the guest listener and the common attribute of the audio items of the selected playlist, and incorporates the additional audio item into the selected playlist.

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can be configured to determine popularity scores for a set of audio content items. The set of audio content items can be ranked based at least in part on the popularity scores, the popularity scores based at least in part on signals associated with a social networking system. A music chart can be generated based at least in part on the ranking.

A personalized news service provides personalized news programs for its users by generating personalized combinations of audible versions of news stories derived from text-based versions of the news stories. The audible versions may be generated from the text-based version by a text-to-speech system, or may by recording a person reading aloud the text-based version. To acquire recordings, the personalized news service can make a determination that a particular news story has a threshold extent of popularity. The news service can then transmit a request to a remote recording station for a recording of a verbal reading of the particular news story. The news service can then receive the requested recording from the remote recording station.

Embodiments described herein provide for extending media playback. In an example implementation, during playback of one or more first media items populated in a queue, a control system extends playback time of the queue. Extending playback time of the queue may involve determining when the one or more first media items will be finished playing; and before the first media items are finished playing, determining one or more second media items that correspond in substantial likeness to the one or more first media items and sending an instruction that causes the first playback device to insert the determined one or more second media items into the queue such that play time of the queue is extended.