Multi-model Music Content Description and Retrieval Using IEEE 1599 XML Standard

The new format IEEE 1599 for music and audio content description defines a standard for the representation of retrieval models within music and music/audio formats that makes use of XML documents as content descriptors. In this article, it is described how music/audio semantics can be actually represented within the Structural Layer of IEEE 1599, thanks to the introduction of novel Music Information Retrieval (MIR) objects that can be exploited by music search engines. A complete description of MIR objects is provided and it is shown how they can be used to embed metadata relative to specific music retrieval models, thus allowing for the description of music content in different retrieval contexts. To this aim, a new concept for MIR Model is introduced together with its formalization and tools provided by category theory. The role of MIR objects and morphisms in music content description and retrieval is explained. Furthermore, a concrete example is given with the implementation of a graph-based model within the IEEE 1599 framework.