TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) – Music reproduction rights collective The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) has launched a new service they’re calling, the Unclaimed Works Portal.
CMRRA’s new Unclaimed Works Portal is powered by CMRRA Direct and provides users with free data from digital services spanning billions of uses.
The idea is to give publishers and songwriters the ability to search for unmatched uses of their repertoire so they can get paid for that work.
Commenting on the technology, Veronica Syrtash, CMRRA SVP – Business Affairs and Corporate Development said: “One of the biggest challenges publishers and songwriters face is knowing how their work has been used. This new CMRRA Direct service provides unprecedented visibility into music use data so that these creators can get paid.”
The portal’s features include sound recording data from multiple services aggregated by the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) and a searchable database allowing publishers to match individual tracks to musical works and also submit missing copyright ownership claims on those works, if necessary. After validating the claim, CMRRA will use the data to invoice services retroactively and generate royalty payments across all digital services licensed by CMRRA.
CMRRA will also incorporate the new matches in its database for future royalty payments when the tracks are used.
“This tool offers unprecedented access and transparency,” added Syrtash. It is a comprehensive and open solution for all publishers. We welcome music publishers of all sizes and self-published songwriters to help fill-in the gaps where data is unknown or incomplete.”
Search returns will also include works in cue at CMRRA for validation of shares submitted by publishers. CMRRA already continually matches its repertoire to digital service use reports and makes retroactive claims to services each reporting period.
CMRRA was acquired by US recorded music licensing body SoundExchange in May 2017. The Unclaimed Works Portal is part of a suite of tools created by the SoundExchange Companies to help music creators get paid more accurately.
