IFPI, BMAT and music rights societies in Asia collaborate to launch SoundSys

By Emmanuel Legrand

Global record labels' trade body IFPI and four music licensing organisations in Asia have launched SoundSys, a cloud-based, fully scalable, shared system for the distribution of sound recording performance rights revenue around the world, in partnership with data provider and music technology company BMAT.

  SoundSys provides a "complete, cost-effective back-office distribution system for revenue collected for the broadcasting and public performance of sound recordings and karaoke videos" in Indonesia, India, Singapore and Thailand.

  Neighbouring rights organisations involved in the project include Indonesia's ASIRINDO, PNR (Phonorights) in Thailand, Music Rights Singapore and PPL in India.

Cost-efficient system

  SoundSys uses proprietary technologies to organise, store and match usage and recording data, which enable rights organisations "to distribute royalties in a timely and cost-efficient manner, in line with global best practice."

  The development of SoundSys follows the launch of the repertoire data exchange service, RDx, developed jointly between IFPI and World Independent Network (WIN), which enables record companies to exchange authoritative data with neighbouring rights organisations through a single, centralised hub.

  IFPI said the roll-out of both systems globally will provide "a standardised, high quality recording metadata supply pipeline and data processing capability for MLCs that will significantly improve the performance rights management landscape worldwide."

Unprecedented international cooperation

  IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said SoundSys was "truly transformative." She praised the "unprecedented cooperation internationally" that led to the launch of the system. “We have launched in Asia in close collaboration with the music licensing companies (MLCs) that have helped shape and refine the system," she said. "It’s proving to be highly effective in assisting the operations of MLCs and we will now be looking to roll it out in other regions that can benefit most from the software.”

  Jusak Sutiono, Director of ASIRINDO, said SoundSys has already delivered benefits to the society, not least through its matching process to "accurately identify the music content we are allocating revenues to, with the software improving the speed with which we can then process the revenue and distribute it to our right holder community.”