Data initatives
Good quality music data helps us accurately pay royalties to our members. If we receive incomplete or contradictory data from music users or music makers, our job becomes much harder.
Data accuracy
We’ve teamed up with PPL, the UK collecting society for performing artists and record companies, on a new data-sharing initiative. This will address the challenge head on by improving identification of sound recordings and musical works – and the links between them.
We have launched a data-sharing initiative with PPL to improve identification of sound recordings and musical works – and the links between them.
The aim of the new tool is to establish and promote a set of consistent and authoritative links between recordings and works that can be gathered from and shared across multiple parties.
The prototype represents a step forward in the sharing of our data, with over 2.5 million recordings already linked to over 1.2 million works and available to search.
The end goal is to extend the sharing of consistent, authoritative data in order to benefit those who create, perform, and invest in music.
The prototype will act as a springboard for discussion with a wider set of recording, publishing and rightsholder organisations around the world.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a technological solution we’re exploring, which can assist with the accurate identification of digital music users and rightsholders.
It’s a distributed ledger system that allows people to connect and transact on a peer-to-peer basis. Those transactions are kept on a database, or ledger, and everyone on the blockchain can view it.
When harnessed by the music industry, it can allow rightsholders, and organisations such as ours, to accurately track where, when and how music is used.
One example of our work in this area includes the development of a new blockchain prototype with US collecting society ASCAP and French collecting society SACEM.
This new system could manage the links between music recordings International Standard Recording Codes (ISRCs) and music work International Standard Work Codes (ISWCs).
The goal of the project is to prototype how the music industry could create and adopt a shared, decentralised database of musical work metadata with real-time update and tracking capabilities.
Under the initiative, data and technology teams from all three societies are working with IBM, leveraging open source blockchain technology to match, aggregate and qualify existing links to confirm correct ownership information and conflicts. The development is at an early prototype stage and more information will be shared as soon as ready.
