Tom Erlewine, Sr. Editor, Pop, Rovi
Session: Man vs. Machine: The Impact of Data Curation on the Digital Music World. In this session, Stephen Thomas Erlewine (aka Tom Erlewine), editor of Pop at Rovi/All Music Guide since its inception in 1991, investigates the intersection of human music experts with data algorithms. As a curator of entertainment data, Tom brings a human element to the data collection process and the music recommendations he provides to listeners. Joining Tom will be Michael Papish (Solutions Architecture Director at Rovi) who will help describe how computer techniques can amplify the reach and impact of human data editors. Tom and Michael will explore the man vs. machine divide and how it is driving cutting-edge digital music applications around discovery, personalized audio and music-based social games. The session will end with a 3-round battle to the death between Tom and The Computer that includes music trivia, name that tune and the audience judged breakdance competition.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine -- otherwise known as Tom Erlewine – is Rovi senior editor, Pop and has been at All Music Guide since its inception in 1991. Erlewine attended college at the University of Michigan, where he majored in English. While he was a student, he worked at the student radio station, WCBN FM 88.3, as well as the student-run newspaper, The Michigan Daily. At The Daily, Erlewine spent a year as music editor (1993-1994) and another year as general arts editor (1994-1995). During this time, he continued to be actively involved with All Music Guide, contributing written work to the database frequently. In the summer of 1994, he became a co-editor of the rock section of AMG, as well as the associate editor of the second edition of the company's general record guide. The following year, he was an editor of The All Music Guide to Rock, to which he was also a major contributor. From there, he eventually worked his way up to the title of Senior Editor for AMG, writing thousands of record reviews in the process. In addition to being a member of Who Dat?, Erlewine is also a freelance writer and has written a handful of liner notes, including those for Pub Rock: Paving the Way for Punk.