Mood metadata on Chinese music websites: an exploratory study with user feedback
ISSN: 1468-4527
Article publication date: 24 August 2018
Issue publication date: 13 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Music mood is an important metadata type on online music repositories and stream music services worldwide. Many existing studies on mood metadata have focused on music websites and services in the Western world to the exclusion of those serving users in other cultures. The purpose of this paper is to bridge this gap by exploring mood labels on influential Chinese music websites.
Design/methodology/approach
Mood labels and the associated song titles were collected from six Chinese music websites, and analyzed in relation to mood models and findings in the literature. An online music listening test was conducted to solicit users’ feedback on the mood labels on two popular Chinese music websites. Mood label selections on 30 songs from 64 Chinese listeners were collected and compared to those given by the two websites.
Findings
Mood labels, although extensively employed on Chinese music websites, may be insufficient in meeting listeners’ needs. More mood labels of high arousal semantics are needed. Song languages and user familiarity to the songs show influence on users’ selection of mood labels given by the websites.
Practical implications
Suggestions are proposed for future development of mood metadata and mood-enabled user interfaces in the context of global online music access.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights on understanding the mood metadata on Chinese music websites and uniquely contributes to existing knowledge of culturally diversified music access.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China: 61703357 and a Seed Research Fund from the University of Hong Kong. The authors thanks Xueming Ann Wang for her assistance in collecting part of the data.
Citation
Hu, X., Cheong, C.W.L., Zhang, S. and Downie, J.S. (2018), "Mood metadata on Chinese music websites: an exploratory study with user feedback", Online Information Review, Vol. 42 No. 6, pp. 864-879. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-01-2017-0023
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited