Apple's Newest Patent Could Revolutionize Live Music, DJ Experiences (AAPL)

may have disappointed some consumers when it unveiled iTunes Radio, but its next music service could be a lot more exciting. According to

, the company has filed a patent for a "silent disco" experience where "musical characteristics sampled from a roving DJ's track trigger playback of similar tunes on a local device." In Apple's description for the patent, the company claims that it is a for a "coordinated group musical experience." Each person experiences the music through their own personal communication device, such as the iPod, iPhone or iPad. All three of those devices were mentioned in the patent filing. "In some cases, the group can congregate at the same geographic location or at least some of the group can be located at widely dispersed locations and yet still be able to share a music experience," Apple

. "…The personal communication devices can use the shared music characteristic to identify and start to privately play those music items stored in the personal communication device having a characteristic that matches or most closely matches the shared music characteristic at about the same time." In other words, Apple is not looking for a way to circumvent the music industry's strict rules against sharing. Instead, the company wants to be able to take advantage of similar characteristics that are found within each user's music library. Apple's patent also dove into the silent disco element, which was described as a place where party-goers dance to music received wirelessly through their headphones.

On its surface, this might sound like a weird (if not unnecessary) idea. But imagine what could be done at a festival like Lollapalooza. DJs could have special performances that incorporate live music on stage for those who are nearby and provide a more intimate experience for those who are at another location within the festival. Attendees could be instructed to access a special channel within the app (assuming Apple turns this concept into an app) that is specifically for Lollapalooza. Similar experiences could be applied to smaller festivals and techno shows all over the country. Disclosure: