Bmi And Ascap Web-based Tracking Systems Launched

NEW YORK-Music performing right organizations BMI and ASCAP have each launched proprietary Internet-based electronic music tracking and reporting systems designed to simplify the task of generating playlists from which composers, songwriters, and publishers are paid royalties.
BMI's Electronic Music Reporting (EMR) is designed for the radio industry, whereas the ASCAP venture-a partnership with San Francisco-based AudioSoft-aims to assemble automated music reports from Internet music play.
The EMR technology developed for BMI will allow its base of 10,000 radio stations nationwide to use existing playlist management software to create music-use reports, which are then uploaded to BMI's airplay data tank. The reports can be generated and uploaded in a matter of minutes, BMI says.
Rollout to stations begins in April. BMI collects in excess of 400,000 hours of airplay data a year.
"The system relieves radio stations from doing the heavy lifting in filing traditional reports to BMI," says John Shaker, senior VP of licensing for the association. "It also allows us to streamline the process of paying our licensees for the music that's being played on radio."
ASCAP's AudioSoft Rights Management System interacts directly with Webcasters' computerized playlists, disseminating airplay information automatically and sending it directly to the organization.
Beta testing will begin in April, with full deployment to the company's 1,500 ASCAP-licensed Webcasters planned for the second quarter of 2000. Completion is expected by the end of first-quarter 2001.
"This brings about a dramatic improvement over our current system," says Marc Morgenstern, executive VP of the enterprises group for new-media partnerships at ASCAP. "As long as we've had an Internet license, we've gathered the information to distribute licensing fees, but this arrangement is a great leap forward in the amount of information, accuracy, and timeliness of Internet usage.
"It simplifies reporting for Webcasters, because the system just sits on their Web server and gathers data and reports it to us electronically," Morgenstern adds. "That simplifies the process for us, because the information is gathered in a form that makes it easy to manipulate and use, so that we have the most accurate and complete distribution possible."
Shaker at BMI says that his organization is also considering automated electronic gathering of Internet airplay. "It would be a valuable service. If the deal is right and meets with our standards, we would certainly consider it."
He adds that BMI has had "extensive conversations" with a number of software companies, including AudioSoft.
Morgenstern, likewise, says that ASCAP has investigated using technology similar to its new AudioSoft Rights Management System for radio airplay information gathering, though no partnership has been put in place yet.