Announce: SMD, let's discover the music

[erland]

We have now been working for a while on a completely new project to enhance the music discovery functionality of the Squeezebox. The project is not ready for a public end user release yet but we feel that we have accomplished enough to try to make people interested in the project and make it possible for them to follow the status.

The Social Music Discovery (SMD) project was initiated in August 2010 and during the project so far there have been about 10-15 different Squeezebox community members involved. Some have contributed with ideas, others with documentation/modelling and a few core members have been heavily involved in writing the source code. Without all these contributors this project would never have happened.

There is a more detailed project description which can be found at the following link on our project site, so I'll just link to it instead of repeating everything here: http://code.google.com/p/socialmusic.../wiki/AboutSMD

The current state of the project is that we want more core contributors, primarily people who are interested in contributing as developers and user interface design, but we are also interested in people who like to help defining more detailed requirements and functionality.

The state of the project is that we have taken a small first step towards our main goal, but there is a lot of work left. We do have an executable version of SMD which can be installed already now by adding the following plugin repository in the "Plugins" tab of Squeezebox Server Settings and check the "Social Music Discovery" plugin. http://socialmusicdiscovery.googleco...tory/alpha.xml

You will need to have Java 6 or later installed on the computer to make it work.

For further details regarding installation and configuration see: http://code.google.com/p/socialmusic...reInstallation

If you have questions, feel free to reply to this forum thread.

If you just want to subscribe on the project status, we have a read only mailing list which we will be using for announcements: http://groups.google.com/group/socia...-announcements

[vagskal]

Does this work with 7.5.6? Nothing happens when I click on Import, and no progress info on the information page.

[erland]

Does this work with 7.5.6? Nothing happens when I click on Import, and no progress info on the information page.

Yes, either 7.5.6 or 7.6.x should work, at least it does in my own setup.

I'm guessing you are clicking one of the import buttons in "SBS Settings/Advanced/Social Music Discovery" ?

If so, check if you see any errors in the SBS server.log file.
If there is nothing there, check if you have a smd-server.log file in the SBS log directory and check if it contains anything useful.

Make sure you have Java 6 installed on the computer running Squeezebox Server.

You can check the task manager and make sure there is a java process running, SBS should automatically startup the SMD java application in the background when SBS is started. The SMD java application communicates via port 9998 with SBS, so if you have a firewall installed, you might have to open that port. From how you describe it, it kind of sounds like the java server either has died or SBS isn't able to communicate with it.

[vagskal]

Now I have installed Java also on the PC running SBS and restarted SBS. I could not see anything Java related in the task manager. Going to the check if Java is installed site started java.exe though.

This was in the server.log

[11-09-10 11:42:26.2316] main::init (326) Starting Squeezebox Server (v7.5.6, r32834, Sat Aug  6 02:04:12 PDT 2011) perl 5.010000
[11-09-10 11:42:27.1535] Slim::Utils::Strings::parseStrings (351) Error: Parsing line 1: # Max Spicer, May 2007
[11-09-10 11:47:09.7631] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (166) error POST http://musik:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver: Connect timed out: Bad file descriptor
[11-09-10 11:47:09.7855] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Importer::_smdServerError (199) Import into SMD failed: Unable to contact SMD server
[11-09-10 11:47:50.4649] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (166) error POST http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver: Connect timed out: Bad file descriptor
[11-09-10 11:47:50.5285] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Importer::_smdServerError (199) Import into SMD failed: Unable to contact SMD server
[11-09-10 11:47:52.0427] Slim::Utils::Misc::msg (1165) Warning: [11:47:52.0424] Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /<C:\Program\SQUEEZ~1\server\SQUEEZ~3.EXE>Slim/Networking/SimpleAsyncHTTP.pm line 377.
[11-09-10 11:47:52.1379] Slim::Formats::XML::gotErrorViaHTTP (347) Error: getting http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/rssfeed/rssfeed.aspx?rssfeed=83
404 Sidan kan inte hittas
[11-09-10 11:47:52.1382] Slim::Plugin::RSSNews::Plugin::gotError (371) While loading feed http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/rssfeed/rssfeed.aspx?rssfeed=83: 404 Sidan kan inte hittas, skipping!

As you can see I tried both with localhost and the PC network name (musik).

No smd-server.log file.

[Ap15e]

Doesn't work:

[11-09-10 12:25:29.7189] main::init (345) Starting Squeezebox Server (v7.6.0, r31373, Mon Sep 27 02:09:12 PDT 2010) perl 5.010000
[11-09-10 12:26:39.1879] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (166) error GET http://192.168.178.21:9998/browse/library: Connect timed out: Bad file descriptor
[11-09-10 12:26:39.2364] Slim::Networking::IO::Select::__ANON__ (146) Error: Select task failed calling Slim::Networking::Async::_async_connect: ; fh=Slim::Networking::Async::Socket::HTTP=GLOB(0x885d15c)

Looks like SMD service isn't running.

Platform Architecture: 586
Perl Version: 5.10.0 - MSWin32-x86-multi-thread
Database Version: DBD::SQLite 1.30_06 (sqlite 3.7.2)
Total Players Recognized: 0

[erland]

Try to goto SBS Settings/Advanced/Logging and:
- Enable debug logging on plugin.socialmusicdiscovery
- Check the checkbox "Save logging settings for use at next application restart"
- Then restart SBS and look in the server.log afterwards to see if there is any more information in related to the startup of the SMD process immediately after SBS has started.

If the above doesn't help try to open a command line and change directory so you are standing inside the SBS Cache directory and then run:

java -jar InstalledPlugins\Plugins\SocialMusicDiscovery\smd-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar

If it works, it should never exit back to the command prompt, but hopefully it fails and exit back to the command prompt and displays some useful error message.

[vagskal]

Here is the server.log:

[11-09-10 12:46:02.3878] main::init (326) Starting Squeezebox Server (v7.5.6, r32834, Sat Aug  6 02:04:12 PDT 2011) perl 5.010000
[11-09-10 12:46:12.6047] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Browse::BEGIN (62) using Slim76Compat::Menu::BrowseLibraryLite
[11-09-10 12:47:23.2002] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Plugin::webPages (116) frontend binary: smd-frontend-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar, adding page links
[11-09-10 12:47:23.2010] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::start (53) smd-server binary: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Squeezebox\Cache\InstalledPlugins\Plugins\SocialMusicDiscovery\smd-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
[11-09-10 12:47:23.2015] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::start (87) Starting smd-server
[11-09-10 12:47:23.2017] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::start (89) cmdline: java -Dorg.socialmusicdiscovery.server.database.directory=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Squeezebox\Cache -Dorg.socialmusicdiscovery.server.daemon=true -Dorg.socialmusicdiscovery.server.port=9998 -Dorg.socialmusicdiscovery.server.stdout=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Squeezebox\Logs\smd-server.log -Dorg.socialmusicdiscovery.server.stderr=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Squeezebox\Logs\smd-server.log -jar C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Squeezebox\Cache\InstalledPlugins\Plugins\SocialMusicDiscovery\smd-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
[11-09-10 12:47:23.2091] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Browse::updateMenus (103) adding menu top level menu PLUGIN_SOCIALMUSICDISCOVERY
[11-09-10 12:50:27.8597] Slim::Utils::Misc::msg (1165) Warning: [12:50:27.8594] Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /<C:\Program\SQUEEZ~1\server\SQUEEZ~3.EXE>Slim/Networking/SimpleAsyncHTTP.pm line 377.

Java did not start so I started it using the website I mentioned before.

And this is the server.log after I tried to import:

[11-09-10 12:54:21.9119] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Importer::startImport (109) Starting SMD import: /mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver with: {squeezeboxserver.deletePrevious:true}
[11-09-10 12:54:21.9122] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::request (139) POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:22.9319] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:33.0288] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:39.0549] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:45.0913] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:51.2006] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:54:57.1070] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (166) error POST http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver: Connect timed out: Bad file descriptor
[11-09-10 12:54:57.1369] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Importer::_smdServerError (199) Import into SMD failed: Unable to contact SMD server
[11-09-10 12:56:22.2204] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Importer::startImport (109) Starting SMD import: /mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver with: {squeezeboxserver.deletePrevious:true}
[11-09-10 12:56:22.2207] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::request (139) POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:56:23.2001] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver
[11-09-10 12:56:33.5131] Plugins::SocialMusicDiscovery::Server::__ANON__ (163) retrying POST: http://localhost:9998/mediaimportmodules/squeezeboxserver

[vagskal]

try to open a command line and change directory so you are standing inside the SBS Cache directory and then run:

java -jar InstalledPlugins\Plugins\SocialMusicDiscovery\smd-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar

I would need a little more help to be able to do this. If I use the command prompt ("Kommandotolken" in Swedish) how do I switch directory?

[Ap15e]

Had to start SMD manually from the command line, now importing 40k tracks ...

[Mnyb]

this all sounds promising, I can only contribute by a donation now and then ( if this works out ) and cheering from the sideline.

what i've been reeding your wiki and wondering is what is required of the end user the use this system to best effect.

For example tagging, mine is very basic and rudimentary, would SMD work better if I had all these suggested mood or style tags and if had "Musicbrains tags". where does the style and mood tags come from. BTW i have never undestood what Musicbrains and picard do, it add some strange tags, but is there any music playback software that actually use them for something ?

I keept my tags simple because there are no solid standards, I realy don't want to commit to a lot of work to adapt the tagging towards a particular player, I can change that atitude if it's reallly worth the effort.
i'm planning to work over my tags once more to consolidate genres to something usefull I have 210 genres ?

One Task for your group would be to write a clearcut tagging guide for the SMD system.

Or what about populating the dB with this extra information from all the mentioned sources, without touching the file tags. You hint at that as a solution I would love that Then I would not have to fidle with tagging , This would be a killer feature for me.
I would be very happy with the default suggestions from these online databases as a beggining, it's much
better than nothing.

maybe later on one would finess this toward ones own preferences , if the interface is easy and fast to use .
Example I simply don't use rating as much i want to do because I can not rate a whole album from any
interface but the web-UI, or an whole artist or genre .

i saw the screenshots of the propesed RCP client , this looks likenwhat I need
this writes to the SMD database, can some parts be exported back to the tags If i chache the spelling of an artist or any other thing thats is in an pre existing tag, I would like the possibility

i do have spotify and facebook would this somehow be integrated ? i have a free last.fm account can this used to some effect.

the RCP client ? Does it run on the server or is it suposed to run on your laptop/destop ?

Good luck with this it has potential to be very good ?

i'll just go figure if i can get java on my headles linux server, I migth try this .