Baidu-I2R Research Centre launches Singapore-developed music search technology

SINGAPORE: Ever had one of those moments when you hear a song but can't recall the artiste or the name of the song? Researchers at the Baidu-I2R Research Centre (BIRC) have developed a music search technology using query-by-example music search to help users obtain song information from just a sound clip.

BIRC is a joint laboratory between A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and Baidu, China's leading Internet search engine provider. BIRC was formed in July 2012 and within a short span of six months, BIRC enhanced and embedded I2R speaker verification technology into the Lenovo A586, the world's first voiceprint smartphone to enable users to unlock their devices using their voice.

Following the successful launch of the smartphone in December 2012, BIRC's Thai language processing technologies facilitated the quick release of Baidu Thai-English online translation in March 2013, which shows much better performance than similar products in the market.

Building on the string of successes, BIRC has launched yet another innovative product for smart mobile device users in May 2013. Launched this year, the Baidu Music Search technology - ting ge shi qu, which literally translates to "hear a tune and know the song" - is embedded within the Baidu Music App that has been downloaded over half a million times on both Google Play Store and iTunes (China).

It identifies music playing over the air by its "unique music fingerprint" made up of its audio waveform and returns the song title, the name of the artiste, and the album art within seconds. Users can also share song information with their friends through various social networking platforms.

Tapping on several million music items with copyrights from Baidu Music database which synchronizes with 17 music lists, including Billboard Hits, the UK Chart and accessed by tens of millions of music lovers worldwide daily, Baidu Music App shows 99 percent accuracy through continuous technology advancements and optimisations. The Baidu Music App returns results with at least 10 percent higher accuracy when searching for songs falling outside the regular charts in China for both normal and acoustically challenging environments.

"We are delighted to see BIRC continue to bear fruit. Multimedia search is a key area of our joint laboratory's research, and we are confident that this latest technology will greatly enhance the experience for music fans when they use Baidu Music," said Wang Haifeng, chief scientist (Basic Technologies), Baidu.

"I am very pleased that our joint collaboration with Baidu has resulted in Baidu incorporating a music search functionality into their highly successful Baidu Music App which can be downloaded freely from the Google Play Store. This demonstrates BIRC's ability to deliver cutting-edge technologies that benefit the industry and I hope to see them continue to launch more products that will create an impact in the market." said Dr. Tan Geok Leng, executive director of Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R).