Patent ID: 7421434

Claim:
A musical tune playback control apparatus comprising: a media processor for reading musical tune data recorded on a digital audio medium and for outputting them to a sound reproduction unit, which in turn produces corresponding musical tones; a storage device; a controller for checking the outputting of the musical tune data to the sound reproduction unit if said checked outputting satisfies a prescribed condition and for storing the musical tune data in the storage device; the controller being further adapted to read the musical tune data stored in the storage device and output said read the musical tune data to the sound reproduction unit in response to a playback instruction, wherein the prescribed condition is at least one of: (a) a playback time exceeds a prescribed duration, and (b) a number of the playback times exceeds a prescribed value; and wherein the prescribed condition is described in such a way that a time in which the media processor outputs the musical tune data to the sound reproduction unit exceeds a prescribed time and the prescribed condition is described in such a way that a number of times which the media processor repeatedly outputs the musical tune data to the sound reproduction unit exceeds a prescribed number of times.