Using fuzzy logic to handle the users' semantic descriptions in a music retrieval system

This paper provides an investigation of the potential application of fuzzy logic to semantic music recommendation. We show that a set of affective/emotive, structural and kinaesthetic descriptors can be used to formulate a query which allows the retrieval of intended music. A semantic music recommendation system was built, based on an elaborate study of potential users of music information retrieval systems. In this study analysis was made of the descriptors that best characterize the user's understanding of music. Significant relationships between expressive and structural descriptions of music were found. A straightforward fuzzy logic methodology was then applied to handle the quality ratings associated with the descriptions. Rigorous real-world testing of the semantic music recommendation system revealed high user satisfaction