# A Functional Taxonomy of Music Generation Systems

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a functional taxonomy for music generation systems, categorizing them by purpose and revealing their interrelations to guide future research and address open challenges.

## Contribution

It proposes a novel, design-centered taxonomy that organizes existing music generation systems by their intended functions, contrasting with traditional methods-based classifications.

## Key findings

- Reveals interrelatedness among different music generation systems
- Identifies key challenges for future research in music AI
- Provides a structured framework for evaluating music generation approaches

## Abstract

Digital advances have transformed the face of automatic music generation since its beginnings at the dawn of computing. Despite the many breakthroughs, issues such as the musical tasks targeted by different machines and the degree to which they succeed remain open questions. We present a functional taxonomy for music generation systems with reference to existing systems. The taxonomy organizes systems according to the purposes for which they were designed. It also reveals the inter-relatedness amongst the systems. This design-centered approach contrasts with predominant methods-based surveys and facilitates the identification of grand challenges to set the stage for new breakthroughs.